Time Will Tell
by Wafflegirl0304
Summary: Lord Garmadon has risen, and it's up to the ninja to stop him and keep the city safe. However, they are still not enough, and they find out about another ninja with more than a few secrets to hide. Will they accept her? Or will she be looked down just because she's a girl?
1. Chapter 1: The Ninja of Time

**New story? ;D next week is my exams, so I really wanna get this up quick. Enjoy! R&R!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ninjago or the characters in this story. I only own my OC, Naoko.**

"I have extremely important news to tell you, ninja," Sensei Wu said firmly, looking at the four ninja with his midnight black eyes.

Kai yawned. "Was it really so important that you had to get us up at 4am?" he muttered.

"Yes," Sensei replied.

The ninja were gathered in Sensei Wu's room. Kai, Cole, Jay and Zane were still wearing their pyjamas, but Sensei was in his normal day attire.

"Just get it on with..." Jay slurred, his green eyes half-closed.

"Yes Sensei, what is it that you require us so early in the morning?" Zane asked, looking intently at his teacher. His body posture was alert, but his icy blue eyes still held tiredness.

Sensei took out the legendary scroll and began to read, "The four ninja must unite to bring down the Dark Lord. However, they will not be strong enough. Only with extra assistance, will they be able to defeat the Dark Lord and save Ninjago."

"But we already have extra assistance," Cole pointed out, running one of his hands through his black hair and rubbing his eyes with the other. "Nya and you can help,"

"We are still not enough," Sensei fixed his piercing black eyes on the black-clothed ninja. "There is word that...there is another."

"Another ninja?" Kai inquired, his attention aroused.

Sensei nodded. "Yes. You are to go to Ninjago City and find this fifth ninja, the ninja of time."

"But Sensei, we do not have any idea how the ninja looks like," Zane said. "How are we supposed to find him?"

Sensei sighed. He unrolled the scroll and showed it to the ninja.

On the scroll was a picture of a silver-clothed ninja. In his hands he held two daggers, one in each hand. Determination shone in the ninja's grey eyes. The ninja had short chocolate brown hair.

"He looks kinda like a girl," Jay mused.

"So when do we need to do this?" Cole asked irritatedly. He was beginning to become grumpy due to lack of sleep.

"Now,"

"What!?" the ninja cried out in unison.

"Oh come on! Everyone will be asleep, and we'll have to break into peoples' homes, and if they wake up and see us, it'll just be awkward, and then we'll be regarded as the town's official weirdos, then-" Jay rattled off.

"Shut your mouth!" Kai exclaimed, exasperated. "We're ninja, remember? Quiet? Stealthy? Heroes of Ninjago?"

"Well, yeah, but-" Jay began, but was cut off as the door to Sensei's room opened.

"Hey, what's with all the yelling in here?" A feminine voice asked wearily.

"Great timing, Nya," Sensei commented. "We need your help,"

"With what?" Nya asked, rubbing the sleepiness out of her jet black eyes. She had on a sleeveless red singlet and striped pyjama pants.

Sensei showed her the scroll and explained. "And that is why we need your help. Assist the ninja in finding this ninja." he said. "You can help try to track him by using the Bounty's tracking system."

Nya grinned. "Won't be a problem, Sensei,"

"Geez, how can you be so upbeat, sis?" Kai sighed. "Let's go, boys,"

The ninja nodded and ran to their bedroom, changing into their ninja suits and grabbing their Golden Weapons.

A few minutes later, they were walking through the streets of Ninjago City.

"So where do you think we should start looking for this ninja?" Jay asked. Cole shrugged.

"I guess we'll have to split up to cover more ground faster. Kai, you take the north side. Jay, take the south, Zane, east. I'll go west." he said.

"Got it," Kai, Zane and Jay said in unison, smiling at their brother.

Cole smiled back. "Good. Ninja go!"

They scattered. Kai hurried to the north end of the city and stopped at the first house he saw. Glancing around, he noticed a few boxes and trash cans beside the house. He flipped onto the boxes and trash cans, jumped up and climbed through the window.

He stood in a small bedroom. In the corner was a king-sized bed, with a young couple asleep on it. He swallowed nervously and tiptoed over to the bed to check their hair and appearance. But both of them looked nothing like the ninja in the scroll.

Kai sighed inwardly. This was going to be a long morning.

* * *

Naoko woke up to the smell of burning twigs. Her head snapped up as she sniffed around, trying to locate the smell.

She rushed to her window, looked down and gasped, her heartbeat accelerating. There, a black figure stood beside the front door, making a fire of twigs and dry grass.

"I need to warn Dad," Naoko muttered under her breath, already rushing to her father's room.

"Dad! Wake up! The house is on fire!"

The figure watched as the flames licked the walls of the small house, consuming and destroying. He smiled deviously.

"Go, fire. Go and burn, destroy, consume all that is in your way. Consume it all," he breathed, his voice nearly inaudible.

Meanwhile, Zane's sixth sense was nagging at him. His blue eyes widened.

"Trouble," he said to himself, rushing to the scene of the incident. There, he found Kai and the others, desperately trying to put out the fire.

"We need a fireman here!" Jay cried in anguish, pouring buckets of water over the flames.

"Or maybe just a little ice," Zane smirked. He summoned his shurikens and tossed them at the wall of the house. Ice spread and began to cover every square inch of the house, putting the fire out.

Two figures emerged from the house, coughing and hacking.

"Are you guys alright?" Kai asked them as they ran out.

The taller figure was a middle-aged man with black hair and thick eyebrows. He was dressed in his sleepwear, and held a small bundle in his arms. Beside him stood a young girl with short brown hair. Her dull, grey eyes were wide with fright and panic.

"Thank you for saving us, ninja," The man said gratefully. "We might have been burned alive. The fire was blocking the door and there was no way of escape. Thank you, thank you!"

"You should thank Zane," Kai smiled as the other ninja came forward. "He put out the fire,"

"It was the least I could do. That was no ordinary fire, though. I observed that water did nothing against it. It was dark fire." the white-clothed ninja said seriously.

"Well, thank you all," the man said.

He smiled sadly down at the bundle in his arms.

"What is that?" Jay asked.

The man gently pulled the blanket off the top, revealing a tiny baby, asleep in his arms.

"That's Nagato," the girl said, her eyes shining. "He's my baby brother. I'm Naoko."

Naoko...

A bell went off in Zane's head. "Wait, that's it! That's her!" he cried.

The ninja stared at him in confusion. Naoko was taken aback.

"Don't you see, guys? This young lady over here is the ninja of time." Zane said. "Brown hair, grey eyes..."

"It could just be a coincidence," Jay stated.

"Um, actually..." Naoko started. All heads turned to her.

"Dear, you are a ninja?" the man asked in wonder.

The girl sighed, staring at the ground. "There's something I never told you, Dad." She looked up.

"When Mum was pregnant with Nagato, she had a miscarriage. You found out and fainted right on the spot. I was so sad I kept wishing for time to rewind, I kept wishing for the baby to come back...then, the following day, Mum came up to me, smiling. She told me the baby was going to be okay. I was shocked, I didn't know what to make of it."

"And just last month, I had to give this speech at school assembly. But I messed up bad, and everyone made fun of me. I was so unhappy at school, and I kept wishing I hadn't made that stupid mistake...a week after, I came to school, and everyone was wishing me good luck for the speech. It was like it had never even happened. I didn't mess up that time, and everything's normal."

Kai noticed that Naoko's eyes were glistening with tears.

"I couldn't wish Mum back, though. I couldn't, no matter how hard I wished, she didn't come back." she whispered.

The man pulled her into a hug. "It's okay, Naoko."

Jay sniffed. "That was sad,"

"So you are the ninja of time," Kai said. He smiled sadly. "It's not your fault. What happens, happens."

Naoko looked up at the fire ninja, crestfallen.

"On a more serious note," Cole said, wiping his eyes, "we need you, Naoko. You know the Serpentine, right? And Lord Garmadon? The prophecy says that you are needed to defeat him. Will you join us?"

"I...I don't know," Naoko replied softly. "I don't know..."

"Naoko," the man said gently. "You should go. Ninjago needs you. Nagato and I will be safe because of you, you know? We'll always have you in our hearts." he smiled, a twinkle in his green eyes.

Naoko smiled sadly. She thought for a moment.

"Well, okay," she agreed. "If it will help my family, I will do anything,"

The ninja smiled at her. "Then it's settled. Do you have anything to pack? You can bring anything you want," Zane said helpfully.

"Wait here," Naoko said. She ran back into her no-longer burning house and went straight for her room. She grabbed a small case under her bed and stuffed it with clothes.

"Okay, done." she announced as she came out of the house. Naoko hugged her dad and stroked her baby brother's cheek before running off with the ninja.

"Where do you live, exactly?" she asked, running alongside Kai.

"A flying ship," he answered boredly. Naoko's eyes widened.

"Awesome," she grinned.

The Bounty landed and the ninja got on with Naoko. They took her to Sensei's room.

"Naoko, the ninja of time," Sensei Wu greeted as they walked in. "Pleasure to meet you,"

"Hello, Sensei Wu," she smiled politely.

"Hey Sensei, what kind of weapon does Naoko have?" Cole asked eagerly.

"She has the Daggers of Time," Sensei said wisely. He stood up and closed his eyes, focusing. Immediately, two shining objects appeared in front of him in midair.

"Whoa," Jay breathed.

Sensei opened his eyes and stretched his hands out, catching the objects in his hands.

"Behold, the Daggers of Time,"

**Tell me if I should continue this, because I don't know what you guys want xD Please review! Thank you!**


	2. Chapter 2: Infactuation?

**Mmph. Yeah. Hope you enjoy, please review! And thank you for the reviews do far! :)**

Naoko stared in awe at the two small daggers in Sensei Wu's hands.

They were small, but their silver blades looked like they could cut through steel. The handles were brown and sturdy. Light glinted off the blades of the daggers as Sensei passed them to the brown-haired girl.

"Cool," she gasped, a grin creeping onto her face as she took the handles of the daggers carefully.

"Naoko, these are your weapons, the Daggers of Time. Kai has the Sword of Fire, Jay has the Nunchucks of Lightning, Zane has the Shurikens of Ice, and Cole has the Scythe of Quakes." Sensei said.

"With these things, I bet you'll be pretty awesome!" Kai grinned, patting Naoko on the back. Naoko smiled, her face tinted pink.

"Now, ninja. We will begin training at 7am sharp." Sensei announced. "Off to bed!"

"Only one and a half hours of extra sleep?" Jay whined. It was already 5.30am. Sensei nodded and shooed the ninja out of his room.

Outside, Nya was waiting for them.

"Hey guys!" she smiled cheerily.

"Hi Nya," Jay greeted floatily.

"And you must be Naoko?" she said, facing said girl.

Naoko nodded. "Yes. Nice to meet you. What is your name?"

"Nya. Glad to make your acquaintance," Nya smiled. She seemed friendly. Naoko was glad she wasn't the only girl on the ship.

"So, where is she going to sleep?" Nya asked the other ninja. Kai blinked.

"Oh, she could sleep in our room, if she wants. There's plenty of space." he suggested. The others agreed.

"Okay, I'll get a spare mattress out for you," Nya said, and she ran off to get it.

The ninja walked back to their room, breaking the ice with Naoko.

"So how old are you?" Kai asked. "Tell us all about yourself,"

"I'm 17," she replied brightly. "I like to play video games, read and sing. I also like to draw stuff. My favourite food is hotdogs and I adore the colour light green.

"I'd never have thought that a girl could become a ninja," Jay blurted out suddenly. Black, brown and blue eyes flew to him and glared. He immediately shrunk away.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"It's okay," Naoko sighed. "At school, I'm just regarded as a quiet and weird teenage girl. I don't have many friends, and the ones that I have, don't stay my friend for very long..."

"But we are your friends now," Zane said comfortingly. "We will help you and make sure you feel as good as possible about yourself."

"Yeah, except for Jay," Kai laughed.

Jay looked at the floor, biting his lip.

"Well, he already said sorry," Naoko shrugged. "So it's okay. Right, Jay?" she asked, more loudly so that the green-eyed ninja could hear.

Jay quickly nodded. "Yup,"

They reached their bedroom. Cole pushed the door open and said, "Well, this is it,"

Naoko glanced around at her surroundings. Two bunk beds, one on each side of the room. Across her, was another door. And a couple chests of drawers too.

"Cozy place," she mused, looking around while walking. The ninja walked to their beds and sat down.

"Well, I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna take a nap before training," Jay yawned, lying down on his bed.

"Me too," Cole said, putting his arms behind his head and closing his dark brown eyes.

"What about you, Kai and Zane?" Naoko asked, sitting down cross-legged on the floor and putting her hands on her suitcase.

"I shall make breakfast," Zane said, and left promptly.

Naoko's grey eyes trailed after the white-clothed ninja as he left. "Kai?" she said expectantly.

"Uh, I don't know," Kai stammered. He stared at Naoko's slender figure. He looked at her long-sleeved plain blue top and her white short shorts. Somehow, he had this weird sensation about this girl...

"Umm...Kai? Why are you staring at me?" Naoko asked quietly, her face beginning to turn red. She looked at the fire ninja, feeling her heart beat fast in her chest. What was this she was feeling? And why hadn't she felt it before? Although, it was true she did like Kai a little better than the others. But she didn't know what he was capable of, she didn't know his character...

Kai shook his head. "S-Sorry," he sighed. Oh great Kai, look you made it awkward! Now she'll think you're a weirdo, and-wait, I'm starting to sound like Jay...

Naoko could see blush creeping up on Kai's face as he looked away. She averted her gaze and stared at the door instead.

Just then, Nya came in with the spare mattress, a pillow and some blankets.

"Sorry I took so long," she said. "I had trouble finding this thing." The short-haired girl put the mattress down in the middle of the room and arranged the pillows neatly.

Observing Kai and Naoko's red faces, she smiled, almost smirking a little. "Did I...interrupt something?" she asked, faking innocence.

"No way," Kai blurted. "Nothing,"

Nya shrugged. "Okay...well Naoko, you can put your clothes in the dresser over there. Nobody uses it," she said, pointing to a small dresser in the corner.

"Okay, um, thanks," Naoko replied hastily, rising to her feet and grabbing her case. She went over to the dresser and put her clothes in neatly, sorting them out as she went.

Time passed and when Naoko was done, she turned around to see that Kai had fallen asleep on his bed. She smiled down at him. His spiky brown hair and his fiery attitude, his kindness...he had made her feel welcome here, as all the others did too.

But she didn't forget one thing...fire had nearly killed her family.

Naoko wiped the sweat from her forehead and brushed away her brown bangs. She sat down on her bed, looking at her daggers.

The fate of Ninjago rested in her and the ninja's hands. Naoko hoped they would succeed. For Dad. For Nagato.

She rolled up her light blue sleeves and lay down on the mattress. Its soft texture made her feel relaxed. The calmness of the room was peaceful. Her heart rate began to slow down again.

She stared up at the brown, wooden ceiling, her mind a total blank. She realised it didn't take much for her to calm down.

Slowly, she drifted off to sleep.

**^_^ Thanks for reading! Bye! R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3: Dark Fire, oh no!

**Yay new chapter :D Hey, if you guys like this, please review? Thanks! It means a lot. Anyway, hope you enjoy.**

"Think fast!" Cole yelled as he threw a punch at Jay's shoulder. The lighting ninja dodged and kicked Cole's knee, and he doubled over. Jay then jabbed his own knee into Cole's stomach and jumped back.

Cole growled. He was not about to let Jay beat him. He ran forward and delivered a kick to Jay's shin, causing him to fall over. Before Jay could get up, Cole unsheathed his scythe and held it near Jay's frightened face, smiling evilly.

"Enough!" Sensei cried. "Good work, Cole and Jay. You have performed excellently today. Next, Kai and Zane!"

As Kai and Zane stepped forward, Naoko fidgeted nervously where she sat on the floor of the upper deck. She was nervous that she would fail, and she would be rejected, then she'd never become a good ninja. She couldn't let that happen. She wanted with all her heart to show Sensei Wu what she was made of. Girls could kick butt too.

Zane blocked Kai's punches and counterattacked, kicking Kai in the chest. He stumbled backwards, but recovered momentarily. The fire ninja's black eyes shone with determination as he lunged at the ice ninja, punching Zane in the chin and and then pinning him down with his body.

"Gotcha," Kai grinned. Zane's azure blue eyes flashed and he abruptly jumped up and jabbed his fist into Kai's cheek. Kai winced and again, stumbled backwards.

"Enough!" Sensei yelled again. "Nice job, Kai and Zane. Counterattacking is helpful in dire situations."

He turned to Naoko. "Your turn," he said, smiling. Naoko gulped and stepped forward, wondering who she would face.

"Jay! Come up here!" Sensei commanded. Jay got up and began to walk over to Naoko. Kai grabbed his shoulder.

"Don't hurt her," he growled. Jay raised an eyebrow, nodded and went to stand in front of Naoko. He could see that she was trembling slightly, but her eyes still held courage.

"Ninja go!" he shouted, running towards Naoko. The girl ducked, dodging Jay's attacks. She slipped under him and hit him from behind. Jay rubbed his head, whipped around and kicked at Naoko's stomach. But she sidestepped and kicked him back, straight in the chest.

Sensei watched Naoko's every move. She was swift and agile, but she was still holding back. It wouldn't be good if her enemy saw her fear. It was her only disadvantage.

"Enough!" he shouted as Jay pounced on Naoko, his face red with frustration. "Naoko, very good job. Your movements are quick and agile, and you make it difficult for your opponent to hit you. However, you tend to show signs of fear. This may be a problem as your opponent can take advantage of this." Sensei said wisely.

"Jay, keep up the good work. But do not get so angry," he added as he turned away. "It is now tea time,"

Kai smiled at Naoko. "That was really good!" he praised. Cole nodded in agreement. Jay seemed downcast. He couldn't believe that a girl was better at him. Zane gave Naoko a thumbs up.

"I sense that you will become a good ninja," he said warmly. "Now, how about some lunch?"

"Yes, please!" Naoko giggled and followed him into the ship, with Kai behind her. Cole and Jay lingered on the upper deck.

"What's up, Jay? You seem quieter than usual," Cole asked. Usually, his friend would be babbling on about something completely redundant, but today was different.

"I...I just wish I was a better ninja," Jay sighed. "Naoko's so much better than me already, and it's only her first day."

"Hey, don't be sad," Cole said, trying to cheer him up. "You're still part of the team. Remember what Sensei said, iron sharpens iron. I bet you'll become a great ninja too," he smiled.

Jay looked into Cole's dark brown eyes, his green eyes sad. He smiled back.

"Thanks, Cole. Let's go have macaroni,"

* * *

Lloyd walked down to the dining room, whistling a tune. Nya had told him that there was a new ninja on the ship, and he couldn't wait to meet him.

"I wonder if he's cool, like Cole, or smart, like Zane," he wondered. As he turned into the dining room, his amethyst eyes widened and a small gasp escaped his lips.

There, sitting between Kai and Nya, was a girl. Her short hair was brown, and her grey eyes sparkled with happiness.

"Hey Lloyd," the ninja said in unison. Lloyd couldn't take his eyes off the girl.

"Is that...the new ninja?" he asked in disbelief.

Naoko sighed, the bridge of her nose turning pink again. "Please stop staring at me," she said softly.

Lloyd quickly shook his head. "Hi, I'm Lloyd Garmadon."

"Garmadon?" Naoko's eyebrows jumped as she backed away from the blond-haired boy, who took a seat at the table.

"He's Lord Garmadon's son. He isn't evil, though. He's the green ninja, and it's our duty to protect him so that he can face his father one day." Kai explained helpfully.

Naoko nodded. "Oh okay..." She turned back to Lloyd. "Sorry about that. My name is Naoko, and I'm the ninja of Time. Pleased to meet you," she said politely, bowing.

Lloyd laughed. "Okay,"

Naoko sat down again and resumed eating the sumptuous waffles Zane had made that morning. Kai eyed Lloyd. He had a feeling Lloyd was up to something.

After breakfast, the ninja trained some more with Lloyd. Naoko realised that he kept smiling at her in this affectionate way while he fought, as if he was trying to impress her. She found it...unnerving. He looked only about fifteen, too young for her taste.

"Now, Lloyd and Naoko!" Sensei said.

Naoko stood opposite Lloyd. He was smirking seductively. She felt her cheeks flush as he winked. Naoko sighed. She hoped she could win. Lloyd was getting quite strong in battle, as she could tell.

She made the first move, delivering a solid punch to his shoulder. Lloyd stepped back and swung his leg up, attempting to bash Naoko's neck. But she ducked and pulled his legs, causing him to fall flat facedown. He let out a small groan. Naoko stood up and looked at Lloyd. He quickly got up and narrowed his eyes, a smirk on his face. He locked his violet eyes with Naoko's grey ones. He grabbed her and was about to bring her down.

"Stop!" Sensei shouted anxiously. Lloyd had more strength in him than he knew, and he was aware that Naoko was going to sustain more than a few injuries if he had slammed her onto the ground.

"Lloyd. Your fighting skills are improving. Keep in mind, this is training. You looked like you wanted to seriously injure Naoko." he said sternly. "Don't be so rash with your friends."

Lloyd sighed and looked down. "Yes, Sensei," he said, casting a glance at Naoko.

"Naoko, keep up the good work," Sensei said, tapping her head with his stick and walking away. She rubbed her head and stared after him.

"Naoko, are you okay?" Kai asked worriedly, running up to her. Naoko smiled and nodded.

"Sorry for...my violence," Lloyd smiled sheepishly, a blush creeping onto his face. Naoko smiled. "It's okay,"

Kai couldn't believe it. "Okay? He tried to break every bone in your body, and you say it's okay!?" he exclaimed.

Naoko giggled. "He's sincere about his apology, I have no reason not to forgive him. I guess it's just in my nature," she said.

Kai sighed. "Well, if you say so,"

"Lighten up a bit, Kai," Cole joked.

Jay and Zane laughed as they all went inside the Bounty.

Naoko headed straight for the bedroom to take a shower. She opened her dresser, took out some clothes and stepped into the shower.

As she felt the warm water cascade down her short, silky hair, she thought about her school life. Since it was now the holidays, Naoko wouldn't have to worry about that for a while. She wondered how long she had to be a ninja. It was fun, and way better than her old life. Even though she missed her father and brother, Naoko knew that they would be safe.

She rubbed manly-smelling shampoo into her hair and scrubbed citrus-flavoured soap onto her body. After rinsing, she stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel hanging on the wall.

"I hope I can use this," Naoko mumbled to herself as she dried her hair and body. Then, she slipped on her undergarments, a lilac t-shirt and a pair of knee-length pants.

As she came out of the bathroom, she dumped her clothes into the laundry bin and went to find the others.

Naoko soon found them in the living room, playing video games. She took one glance at the television screen and immediately recognised the game.

"Eat my dust, Jay!" Kai cried as he pushed the control stick, his thumb pressed on the A button.

"Think again, Kai!" Jay replied, smiling. He pressed a button, and there was an explosion on the screen.

Kai groaned. "Jayyyy!" he whined.

"I'll beat all of you!" Cole yelled as Luigi raced past Mario and Toad, leaving them in the dust.

"HEY!" they protested simultaneously.

Naoko sat down beside Zane, who was the only one not playing. "Intense game," she stated. Zane chuckled.

"Agreed," he said. "Are you going to play next?"

"Sure," I grinned. "That game is fun."

We watched the boys play in silence. At last, the game ended, with Jay as the winner.

"Haha, I told you! No one can beat the king of games!" he proclaimed victoriously. Cole folded his arms, pouting. Kai got up and went to sit beside me.

"Hey Naoko," he smiled.

"Hey," I answered warmly. "That was some game,"

"No kidding," Kai sighed. "I almost beat Jay, but I was too slow."

"Maybe I can help you earn your dignity back," Naoko laughed. "Jay, I challenge you to a game of Mario Kart Wii, okay?"

Jay looked uncertain for about two seconds, then nodded. "Sure thing! But keep in mind, I'm pretty good,"

Naoko grabbed the Wii Remote and took her place beside Jay. The game began.

Baby Mario raced past Toad while leaving behind a banana peel. He turned a corner and came to a ramp. Naoko shook the Wii Remote vigorously, making Baby Mario scream in delight and giving him a speed boost.

Jay gritted his teeth. Toad dodged the banana peel and drifted past the corner. Upon coming to the ramp, he shook his Wii Remote as hard as he could, and Toad got the speed boost. It was neck-and-neck between the two.

"YES!" Jay screeched as Toad crossed the finishing line, with Baby Mario less than an inch away. Naoko sighed.

"Good game," she grinned. "You're pretty good."

"Heh, thanks," Jay smiled.

At that moment, Sensei Wu came in holding a small, flat box.

"What's in the box, Sensei?" Cole asked.

"Naoko's uniform," Sensei replied. He gave the box to Naoko. "You should try it on now,"

"Okay, wait here," she nodded and ran to the bathroom. Naoko wondered how her uniform looked like. She hoped it wouldn't look too bad on her.

Inside the bathroom, she delicately opened the box and looked inside. Silver cloth stared back at her. There were awesome gold highlights on the cloth that glinted in the light. Naoko picked up the suit, feeling its smooth and soft texture. It was light and breathable.

She stripped and put on the suit. There was a silver long-sleeved top with a gold letter N at the back. It also had a hood. The front was patterned with black floral designs. Below, Naoko wore a pair of long silver pants, with black lining the pockets. A black belt was wrapped around her waist, with compartments that she could slide her daggers into. They fitted snugly.

"Whoa," she marvelled. The material was surprisingly flexible and stretchable, allowing her to move swiftly and act fast. It was perfect!

Checking the box, she noticed a pair of black fingerless gloves and put those on as well.

She exited the bathroom and went back to the living room.

"How do I look?" Naoko asked, smiling.

"Not bad," Zane commented. Kai felt his heartbeat speed up again and his cheeks go red.

"Y-Yeah, it's beautiful," he said. Naoko blushed. "Thanks," she replied.

"Silver looks nice on you," Cole smiled.

"Nice," Jay grinned.

Naoko turned to Sensei expectantly. He smiled and nodded. "It is very fitting,"

Just then, the alarm sounded. The ninja exchanged glances before running down to the bridge.

"Fill us in, sis!" Kai yelled. Nya's jet black eyes were filled with anxiety.

"Serpentine activity spotted in Ninjago City!" she said. "Get there fast!" The ninja didn't need any more details. They ran to the upper deck, ready to jump.

"I don't have a Spinjitzu vehicle!" Naoko cried as Jay, Zane and Cole turned their weapons into the Storm Fighter, Snowmobile and Tread Assault and jumped off.

"Hold onto me, and don't let go!" Kai yelled. Naoko did as she was told and wrapped her arms around Kai's neck. He turned the Sword of Fire into the Blade Cycle and jumped.

Naoko's mouth curled into an insane grin as she felt the wind rush past her ears. It was an amazing feeling. They whizzed past the clouds, plummeting towards the ground. She tightened her grip on Kai and shut her eyes, grinning madly.

Kai felt her head press against his back and her heartbeat race against his. He smiled.

They got close to the ground, and the Blade Cycle turned back into the Sword of Fire. Naoko and Kai landed safely on the ground. Naoko stepped back while Kai sheathed his weapon.

There was an ear-piercing fire alarm wailing endlessly throughout the city. People were screaming and running around helter-skelter.

"Whoa, what happened here?" Jay wondered. Zane immediately sensed the same thing he had sensed earlier.

"More dark fire," he muttered. "Quick, this way!"

The ninja followed him to a small house. Thankfully, it wasn't Naoko's house. Firetrucks and policemen surrounded the house. The fire brigade sprayed water onto the houses in an attempt to douse the flames, but nothing happened.

Cole, Jay, Naoko, Kai and Zane attacked the serpentine all around, knocking all of them out. Cole quickly tied them up and buried their bodies in the dirt, leaving their heads exposed.

The fire intensified, threatening to burn the whole house down. A woman clung to a window, screaming in fear. "Ninja go!" Kai shouted, forming a fiery tornado. He spun up and grabbed the woman, about to bring her to safety. All of a sudden, pain exploded from his arm, and he dropped her in agony.

"AAAAAH!" she shrieked as she was sent hurtling to the ground. Naoko quickly darted over and caught the woman in her arms. She set her down gently.

"Are you alright, ma'am?" she asked politely. But the woman was too traumatised to react. Her amethyst pupils were wide with panic.

Kai landed on the ground near them on his feet. Even without checking, he knew he had accidentally burnt his arm. Badly. He winced as he pulled back his charred sleeve, revealing red raw skin underneath. Yellow and red blisters were forming and it hurt like mad.

"Ninja go!" Zane yelled, throwing his shurikens into the walls of the house. He formed an icy tornado and spun all around the house, and soon, the fire was extinguished.

Naoko, Cole and Jay ran up to Kai. "Kai, are you okay?" Naoko cried worriedly.

"I really don't know," Kai murmured shakily, still staring at his injury. Zane rushed over and examined it.

"A second-degree burn. You need to get it washed and put clean, dry gauze on it," he said urgently. "Let's return back to the ship."

At that moment, the woman came up to him.

"Oh ninja, thank you so much for putting out the fire," she gushed. Zane nodded firmly.

"You're very much welcome, but my friend needs immediate medical attention. Good day, and watch out for snakes," he said. A rope dropped down from the Bounty and the ninja hung on, with Kai tied precariously to the end of the rope.

**Btw, I don't own Ninjago or Mario Kart Wii. xD Have a good day/night, and peace!**


	4. Chapter 4: When Lust and Jealousy Attack

**I think Lloyd fans will probably start to hate me after reading this... :O Please don't! D: Well anyway, hope you enjoy! R&R!**

"Hold still, this may hurt a bit," Nya said gently. She slowly pulled Kai's burnt arm under the tap.

Kai's face contorted in extreme pain and a scream so loud it couldn't be heard eloped his mouth.

Naoko, Cole, Jay and Zane winced. They nearly felt his pain. Lloyd just stared on, but his purple eyes held sympathy.

Sensei stood behind them, watching. He seemed to be deep in thought. Nya took some non-stick gauze and loosely wrapped it around Kai's burn so that air could still circulate well.

"Done," she sighed. "Sorry, Kai."

"I-It's...okay," he replied with difficulty. The gauze pressed lightly against his raw skin, but it stung so badly he could barely stand it.

Zane was troubled. He knew Kai getting burnt by dark fire wasn't a good sign. He'd have to notify his brother about this. If Kai's emotions got the better of him...

Meanwhile, Naoko walked up to Kai. "Are you feeling okay?" she asked, her grey eyes filled with concern. Kai looked up at her. She could see that his onyx eyes were filled with silent agony.

"Um...yeah..." he sighed, gazing into her eyes. "You have no idea how much this hurts,"

"It hurts me to see you in pain," the ashen-eyed girl sighed. "Hope it heals soon," the fire ninja nodded in reply.

Lloyd fixed his eyes on them, his eyes narrowing. He didn't know Naoko liked Kai. This wasn't going to turn out well.

"Naoko, I would like to speak with you," Sensei said suddenly. Puzzled, Naoko followed him out of the room.

"What is it, Sensei?" she asked inquisitively, tucking a stray strand of cocoa-coloured hair behind her ear. Sensei looked at her seriously.

"Are you keen on learning Spinjitzu?" he asked. Naoko's mind went blank for a few seconds, then she replied, "Of course! I want to help the ninja in their battle against Lord Garmadon as much as I can."

"Then you must find the Spinjitzu within you. You must find it soon, or it will be sealed away inside of you and you will not be able to do Spinjitzu." he said. Naoko nodded.

"Yes, Sensei,"

* * *

Meanwhile, Cole and Jay were giving Kai "the look". He raised an eyebrow.

"What? What are you staring at me for?" he asked defensively. Cole smirked.

"We see the way you look at her. You like her, don't you?" he asked cockily. Jay laughed. Kai felt his cheeks flush rapidly.

"Sh-Shut up," he mumbled.

"You should ask her out, man," Jay suggested. "She's a really good friend, and she seems to like you too." he smiled.

Kai pondered this, ignoring the burning pain on his arm. Asking Naoko out on a date..?

"N-No! I'd just mess it up," he sighed. "I don't even know if she likes me back..."

"Oh come on Kai, it'll be fun," Cole said in a sing-songy voice. Kai clenched his fists.

"If I didn't have this burn on my arm, I'd punch you into the next century," he said, glaring at the black-haired ninja.

"Are you done?" Zane's voice came from behind them. He was met with jade, brown and coal stares.

"Kai, the dark fire that burnt you is going to linger in your body. If you get too angry or sad, it will react and make you lose control. You must keep your feelings intact." he warned.

"Yes, sir," Kai's frown broke into a grin. "Don't get mad, don't get sad. I got it,"

"This is serious! It might lead to disastrous consequences. Please be careful," Zane urged. Kai could see the worry and plea in Zane's azure eyes. He nodded.

"It's okay, Zane. I know how to control my feelings. Don't worry about it, okay?" he said reassuringly. Zane looked uneasy, but then he smiled and nodded.

At that very moment, a malicious grin spread across Lloyd's face. He knew exactly what he was going to do.

* * *

"So I already know it," Naoko murmured to herself. "I just have to try," She stood on the upper deck of the Bounty, trying to unlock her Spinjitzu. The warm sun was shining down on her, almost burning her shoulders through her clothes. She closed her eyes and whispered, "Ninja go,"

Spinning around, she felt energy surge through her veins for a short time before she stopped. Naoko knew she had to try harder.

"Ninja go!" she yelled as she twirled around, forming a glittering silver tornado. Adrenaline rushed through her veins. She had done it.

"Yes," she smiled to herself as she stopped. "I did it,"

"Congrats," a familiar voice came from behind her. Naoko turned around and smiled.

"Hey Kai," she said, coming over. "Thanks,"

Kai subconsciously rubbed the back of his neck with his arm that wasn't injured. "Um, Naoko, there's something I've been meaning to ask you..."

Naoko felt her heartbeat speed up. Her face flushed. "...Yes?" Kai fidgeted nervously. It was now or never, he thought.

"Naoko, do you wanna...hang out together sometime? Just the two of us?" he asked, tripping on his words. Naoko's eyes widened. She couldn't hide her joy as she replied with a smile, "O-Of course,"

Kai felt a huge weight fall off his back. His face went red again as he smiled at her. "G-Great," he said.

"So...dinner tomorrow?" she asked. Kai nodded. "Perfect! So I'll see you tomorrow at 7." Naoko grinned.

The fire ninja and the time ninja stood there in awkward silence, simply looking into each other's eyes. Kai was desperately resisting the urge to reach up and stroke her pink cheek. Naoko was fighting back the desire to run her hand through his spiky chocolate hair. Above all, both of them wanted their lips to meet so badly...

"Ahem," Kai said suddenly. "Well, time for dinner. A-Are you hungry?" he asked dumbly.

Naoko shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Um, yeah. Let's go," she smiled, her ash-coloured eyes shining.

As they walked down the steps into the ship, side by side, their hands linked, and Naoko nearly fainted. She never knew Kai's hand was so...soft, so smooth, it could compare to her own. She smiled bashfully at the red-clad ninja.

I wish he was mine.

Kai's heart was thumping so loudly in his chest that he was sure Naoko could hear it. Her hand was so delicate and soft, and he was trying his best not to grip too hard and maybe injure her. Her hand in his made him forget about the searing pain in his arm for a while.

I wish she was mine...

What the two were unaware of was that a certain green ninja was walking quietly behind them, his amethyst eyes fixed on the silver-clad ninja. He wasn't going to let Kai get her.

Not over his dead body.

* * *

Dinner passed. The ninja trained for a an hour with Nya and Sensei Wu. The evening air was cool and inviting, perfect for training.

Naoko practised using her daggers to defend herself and also attack. They were small and mobile, suited for a ninja like her.

"Do my weapons turn into a vehicle too?" Naoko panted as she blocked Cole's attack with her daggers. Sensei shook his head slowly.

"Unfortunately, it does not. Only the Golden Weapons are capable of turning into vehicles. Your daggers are not part of them, so they cannot." he answered.

Naoko ducked and jabbed Cole in the chest with the non-pointy end of one of her daggers. "Bummer," she said.

"Guess you'll have to ride with Kai forever," Cole laughed bitterly as he recoiled from the hit, staggering backwards. Naoko smiled. That was one thing she didn't mind.

Cole brought his scythe down upon Naoko, pushing her to the ground. "You gotta be more alert, Naoko," he said, offering her a hand. His dark coffee brown eyes shone with playfulness. Naoko smiled sheepishly and pulled herself up.

"Yeah, you're right. Sorry about that, man," she giggled, patting Cole on the back. A slight blush appeared on his face as they went to the sidelines. _She seems to make every guy here blush_, he thought.

"Next, Jay and Zane!" Sensei barked. The two ninja took their places. Naoko watched them, her eyes wide with interest.

Jay unsheathed his nunchucks and gyrated them in the air, smirking. Zane maintained his calm composure, summoning his shurikens.

"Prepare for your butt to be kicked!" Jay proclaimed as he ran forward and hit at Zane's legs with his nunchucks. Zane jumped and kicked Jay in the stomach before throwing the shurikens his way. The blue ninja dodged them and punched Zane's upper body. He winced, but recovered in less than a second. He caught his shurikens and blocked some of Jay's hits with his nunchucks.

"It is your butt that will have the kicking," he grinned, his icy blue eyes full of mischievousness. "Take this!" He pushed away Jay's weapon and tossed the stars, pinning him to the ground. Jay sighed.

"Okay, okay! You win!"

Zane smiled, removed the shurikens and helped his brother up. "I got a little carried away. Are you hurt?"

Jay shook his head. "Of course, maybe if you were fighting to your full potential, you could have _juuuust_ scratched me a little," he laughed, emphasising on the word "just". Zane chuckled heartily.

They retreated to the sidelines. Naoko and Lloyd were up next.

"Hey, girlie," he said flirtatiously. Naoko bit her lip, feeling uncomfortable. Kai gritted his teeth. He was ready to maul Lloyd. He'd never seen him so suave, so charmed before. To be honest, it scared him a bit.

"Um, hi," she muttered awkwardly. "Are you ready to train?"

Lloyd grinned. "Sure,"

They took their places. Lloyd struck first, thrusting a fist into Naoko's shoulder. He was going to do everything in his power to make Kai angry at him. If he could trigger the dark fire, Naoko could finally be his.

Naoko winced, narrowed her eyes and forcefully kicked Lloyd's shin, causing him to stumble backwards. She dealt a blow to his face and dodged a punch to her arm. So far, so good.

Then, Lloyd's amethyst eyes glinted with a hint of evil. Naoko's grey eyes widened ferociously. Swiftly, Lloyd swung down and knocked her off her feet. Naoko landed hard on the deck, groaning.

Lloyd's eyes held pure jealousy and lust as he grabbed Naoko's collar and pulled her up to his face. She felt beads of sweat forming on her forehead. Their faces were less than an inch apart. Her eyes were wide and her heart was ricocheting against her chest.

"Wanna dance, pretty girl?" Lloyd whispered, smirking. He pressed his lips against Naoko's.

"That's it!" Kai shouted, his onyx eyes blazing. "Get away from her now!" he clenched his fist in hatred. Zane stared at Kai, gasping. His blue eyes were as big as saucers and his mouth hung agape as he shook his head slowly.

"Lloyd! What is the meaning of this?" Sensei barked. "Release her now!"

Lloyd glared at all the ninja. In his lavender eyes was chagrin so deep that it made even Zane flinch.

"Kai, please calm down," Zane pleaded. "Lloyd, let her go. That's an order."

"Who died and made you king?" Kai and Lloyd thundered in unison, their heads whipping in his direction. Naoko trembled. She had never seen Kai get so furious before. Then again, she hadn't been here for long.

A slight red aura began to surround Kai. Nya, Cole, Jay, Naoko and Zane gasped. Kai was staring daggers at Lloyd, who was doing the same.

"Kai, stop!" Naoko wailed. "Calm down!"

"He freakin' kissed you!" Kai yelled, enraged. The red glow turned brighter. Naoko caught a glimpse of crimson in Kai's eyes.

"Please, Kai..." Naoko begged, her eyes stinging and filling with tears. "You're scaring me..."

Those words seemed to trigger something in Kai. He softly gasped, the red aura fading away fast. His eyes turned black again, but he maintained a steady glare at Lloyd. Zane heaved a sigh of relief, as did the others.

"I'm sorry, guys," he finally sighed after a moment's silence. "I...don't know what got into me,"

Lloyd's grip on Naoko suddenly loosened, and she fell to the ground with a dull thud. The brown-haired girl looked up, her eyes glistening with tears.

Lloyd glanced at her angrily. He had failed. He was so close, but Naoko had jeopardised it. He had been so close.

"See you later, Naoko," he spat coldly. Naoko gulped, her grey eyes trailing after the green ninja as he stomped away.

"Naoko, are you okay?" Cole asked worriedly, running over and helping her up. Naoko wiped her eyes.

"Yeah," she replied shakily. "I'm okay,"

Kai walked up to her. "Naoko, sorry about that. I got carried away and nearly let my anger guide me." He turned to his brothers and Nya. "And I'm sorry too, guys. Especially Zane." He looked down at the floor guiltily.

"It wasn't your fault, Kai. Lloyd was getting under your skin, and he purposely made you angry." Jay said, his jade green eyes vexated. Cole, Nya and Zane nodded in response.

"I hope Sensei gives him a good lecture," Nya muttered grumpily.

Kai's arm began to ache. He groaned.

"Um, Zane? Is it normal for burns to hurt for no apparent reason?" he asked, pain evident in his voice.

Zane searched his databanks. "Not for normal burns, but getting burnt by dark fire is different. After it is triggered at all, the burnt area will hurt for about half an hour." he said.

Kai winced. "Well, if you say so,"

"Come on Kai, let's go re-dress the wound." Nya suggested. Kai shuddered and followed his sister into the ship's lower deck.

Naoko sat down on the edge of the ship quietly. Her grey eyes were thoughtful and held uncertainty.

"Is something wrong?" Zane's voice came from above her. She looked up and locked eyes with Zane's concerned ones.

"I was just thinking," Naoko said as Zane sat down beside her, "have Kai or Lloyd ever got that angry before?"

Zane shook his head sadly. "Unfortunately, no," he replied. Naoko drew her legs up to her chest and sighed.

"I see," she said dejectedly.

"Why would that concern you?" Zane asked her.

Naoko was quiet for a moment, staring at the wooden planks of the ship. Zane could sense that her heart was troubled, and he was worried.

"Maybe I'm jinxing things," she whispered finally. "I'm the cause of this trepidation."

**Well there you have it. Next chapter will be up within ten minutes :D**


	5. Chapter 5: Dreams and Various Things

**Told ya :3 R&R! Enjoy, and thanks for reading!**

"That is not true, Naoko, and you know it," Zane replied immediately. He tilted Naoko's face towards his.

"It is not," he repeated.

"It is," she insisted sadly. "I've brought nothing but anger between those two. Maybe it is best if I left,"

"What about Kai?" Zane asked desperately. "If you go, he'll be...heartbroken,"

Tears spilled out of Naoko's dull grey eyes as she turned away from the ice ninja. "But then maybe things...will go back to normal," she mumbled.

"Naoko, listen to me," Zane urged seriously, slight panic in his blue eyes. "You are not jinxing things. It was merely by chance that Kai and Lloyd have feelings for you, and you have for feelings for Kai. You must stay, or the prophesy will not be fulfilled."

Naoko was quiet for a moment. "But Zane, what can I do? Lloyd will only get angrier, and I know he will not give up. Kai will be consumed by the dark fire burn thingy, and then it'll be over," she wept, wiping her eyes.

Zane felt sorry for the poor girl. He didn't know what to say.

"Just stay, alright?" he said finally, putting a hand on Naoko's shoulder. "Please, for Kai. I cannot bear to see him heartbroken if you leave."

Naoko sniffed and nodded quietly.

She looked up to see Cole and Jay training with each other near them, oblivious to the conversation taking place. As she rose, Zane also stood up.

"Thanks, Zane. I'll see you later," she said, smiling sadly at the nindroid. Zane smiled, glad to know she was feeling better. Then she gave him a hug, catching him off-guard. His face reddened and his azure blue eyes widened. Naoko pulled away and walked away, smiling.

"That was...unexpected," Zane murmured as he went down into the Bounty, his face still tinted red and his bionic heart thumping wildly in his metallic chest.

* * *

Kai stood in the shower area, hesitating. One hand was on the shower head, and the other was on the faucet. But he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"This is gonna hurt so bad," he muttered. Slowly, he turned the faucet, sending water spraying all over his torso. He moved it downwards, not wanting to wet the burn just yet.

He scrubbed his hair first, before proceeding to wash every body part but his injured arm. At last, it was time. Kai slowly brought the shower head closer and closer to the burn.

The stinging pain shot through his whole arm, making Kai's chest tighten. Tears were squeezed out of his onyx eyes as he hurriedly took the shower head away.

"Ow..." he whimpered through gritted teeth as the water seemed to penetrate through his skin, making every second close to unbearable. Kai stood there for a while, trying to endure the agony. Finally, it was over. He got out of the shower and wrapped his towel around him, being especially careful not to touch the burn.

"Stupid burn," Kai muttered as he put his pyjamas on, replaced the gauze and stepped out of the bathroom.

He found his brothers, Nya and Naoko already in the bedroom, chatting.

"So then there was this gigantic snake, and we were all like, 'OH NO!' and we hid in this cave thingy, and I started freaking out because there was no WAY we could kill that thing!" Jay rambled on and on about the attack of the Great Devourer.

"We tried our best to stop that thing rampaging in the city, but we were too weak. So then we had to give our golden weapons to Garmadon but he didn't give them back, that freakin' jerk. But we got them back after a real long time though. Well we kinda got them back after we destroyed the Mega Weapon, so-"

Jay was cut off as Nya suddenly pressed her lips to his. His cheeks flushed and his eyes closed in contentment. Naoko giggled, Zane smiled, Cole raised an eyebrow and Kai shook his head.

"Now will you shut up?" Nya asked as she pulled away, a blush creeping onto her face. Jay was speechless as he gazed at Nya dumbly, his cheeks pink.

"Guess that means yes," Cole laughed as Jay shook his head and came back to his senses.

"S-Sure, I'll be quiet i-if you want me to," Jay stammered. Nya blew him a kiss before leaving to her bedroom. Naoko waved to her as she left.

"Okay, my turn in the shower," Cole announced, grabbing his pyjamas from the shared dresser and rushing into the bathroom before anybody else could say anything.

Kai sat down on his bed, fingering the gauze on his arm.

"Are you feeling any better?" Naoko asked, kneeling down at Kai's bed. He nodded.

"It doesn't really hurt as much," he said, smiling.

"That's good," Naoko replied happily.

A few minutes of awkward silence passed. Jay fell asleep on his bed, exhausted from waking up early. Zane sat beside his, meditating. Cole eventually came out and went to bed after giving Naoko and Kai a good night smile.

"Go to sleep first," Naoko whispered when the black-haired ninja had fallen asleep. "I'll change and sleep too,"

"Okay," Kai whispered back, smiling. A line of pink lined Naoko's nose bridge as she got her sleepwear and went into the bathroom.

She took off her ninja suit and slipped on her long-sleeved grey shirt and black shorts. She straightened her hair in the mirror and gave herself a reassuring smile.

When she came out, the room had gone dark, and it was quiet. She guessed Kai had turned off the lights. Naoko lay down on her mattress, turned over to her side and closed her eyes, calming herself.

* * *

_"Kai,"_

_"Kai, wake up~"_

_He blinked his coal eyes open. "Huh?"_

_In front of him, was Naoko kneeling down, smiling sadly. She had on her ninja suit and her daggers. "Good morning, Kai,"_

_"Where are we?" he asked, glancing around. They were in complete white nothingness. His eyes darted to his arm. Amazingly, the burn on his arm was gone. He could also feel his sword on his back._

_Naoko shrugged. "I have no idea," she said. "I just...woke up here, and saw you lying beside me,"_

_Kai stood up, pulling Naoko up with him. "Let's try to find a way out," he said, clutching her hand tightly. Naoko nodded, and the two walked about, trying to find an exit._

_"Well, hello, Naoko..." a voice suddenly came from behind them. Kai and Naoko whipped around and gasped._

_"Lloyd, what are you doing here?" Naoko asked, feeling her heart ricochet against her chest. Kai said nothing, but instinctively stood in front of Naoko._

_"You know what I want, Naoko." Lloyd said, his eyes narrowing. He assumed a battle stance._

_"You,"_

_"Don't come near her!" Kai yelled, clenching his fists and holding them up._

_"What can you do, Kai? I am all around you," Lloyd said, his voice dangerously quiet. As he spoke those words, he suddenly split into 20 clones of himself, all smiling evilly._

_Naoko gritted her teeth. She unsheathed her daggers and held them out. Kai did the same with his sword._

_Lloyd chuckled. "You think that those will harm me?" In a split second, his clones lunged forward. Some pushed Kai to the ground while others grabbed Naoko. She screamed in panic and swung her daggers about in a desperate attempt to injure some of them. The dagger jabbed straight into one of the clones' shoulder, and he vanished. She kicked and struggled, stabbing her daggers into anything that came near._

_Kai cried out and brandished his sword, destroying multiple clones at once. He jumped up and slashed his way through the truckloads of clones, running towards Naoko._

_"Naoko, hold on!" he shouted, kicking and pushing away the clones._

_"Ninjago!" Naoko cried, forming a silver tornado that wiped out all clones that came near her. Suddenly, she felt sharp pain in her leg, and fell to the ground in pain._

_"Naoko!" Kai shrieked. He formed a fiery tornado and scooped her up from the ground. Naoko wrapped her arms around Kai and buried her face against his chest. Warmth enveloped her as she felt his heart beating wildly against her body._

_"Lloyd, you'd better come out here and fight like a man!" Kai yelled, enraged._

_Lloyd was standing a few feet away, his purple irises ablaze with pure hatred. The same hatred as before._

_"You'll put her down first," he spat angrily. Kai tightened his grip on Naoko._

_"Not on my life!" he screamed. Lloyd stretched his hand out._

_"You asked for it,"_

_His arm elongated and zoomed straight to Naoko's skinny figure. He grabbed her and pulled her away._

_"KAI!" she screamed, clinging onto Kai's body for dear life. Kai grabbed her arms and pulled back._

_Slowly, he was being dragged towards Lloyd. The green ninja had a dark aura surrounding him. A purple and black void had appeared behind him. His amethyst eyes had grown black and hollow and held nothing but chagrin._

_"She is mine!" Lloyd yelled as he gave a forceful yank. Naoko felt her hands slip from Kai's arms. Tears sprang to her eyes and blurred her vision as she was pulled deeper and deeper into the void..._

_"Naoko!" Kai screamed hopelessly._

Kai shot up in bed, panting. His body was rigid and trembling with fear. He could hardly breathe. His mouth had gone dry. But the nightmare was over.

He heard soft sobbing beside him. Glancing sideways, he saw Naoko sitting in bed, hugging her knees to her chest, fresh tears rolling down her cheeks and wetting her knees.

"Naoko, don't cry," Kai said, getting off his bed and hugging her. Her body was cold and shaking, and he could feel her quick-paced heartbeat. She hugged Kai, crying and crying uncontrollably.

"It's okay," he whispered, half assuring Naoko and half assuring himself. It was just like when Nya used to have nightmares. He would hold her like this, whispering quietly until she fell asleep. Except this time, he had experienced the nightmare as well.

"Kai..." Naoko sobbed quietly. "Y-You're shaking t-too..."

"I know," he whispered breathlessly.

Time passed and soon Naoko's heartbeat slowed down. Kai put her down gently onto the mattress and put a blanket over her. Hesitating, he pecked her on the cheek and got back into bed, his heart still palpitating, his body still shaking, and his mind still awhirl.

"You will not get her, Lloyd Garmadon," he muttered before falling asleep.

**Yup. I worked hard on this, so please review! :)**


	6. Chapter 6: The Demon of Violence

**Hello Ninjago fans, and welcome back to another chapter of Time Will Tell! In this chapter, we will-*shot***

**Kai: THIS IS NOT A TV SHOW!**

**Jay: Dude, relax, she's just trying to make it sound realistic. **

**Naoko: Um...Wafflegirl0304 does not own Ninjago. Please tune in later, I think...**

Cole awoke to the sound of falling rain. Sitting up and rubbing his eyes, he checked the clock.

6.52am

He sighed. He hadn't been able to sleep well that night, and kept waking up for no apparent reason. The black-haired ninja sat on the edge of his bed, staring into space and hearing the rain outside pelting down in torrents.

Opposite his bunk, Kai stirred and rolled over. Zane was snoring softly. Naoko was asleep on the floor, turned away from him. He couldn't hear Jay at all. Which was surprising as usually, he would be the noisiest, even when sleeping.

Cole yawned and went to the bathroom to shower and brush up. First, he brushed his teeth, undressed and stepped into the shower area.

He flinched as ice cold water shot him right in the chest. He hurriedly turned the water away and waited for it to warm.

"One of the reasons I don't like rainy days," he muttered.

* * *

Later, when Cole came out, he realised why Jay had been so quiet.

He hadn't even been in the room.

Cole glanced around curiously. Where could he be? He exited the bedroom and walked around the ship, peering into every room that was unlocked.

When he came to the deck, he gasped. A lone blue figure was on the deck, slumped against the ship's railings.

"Jay!" Cole exclaimed as he ran out into the pouring rain to his brother. The brown-haired lightning ninja didn't reply. His eyes were closed. Cole anxiously picked him up and carried him to shelter. Jay's body was wet but warm.

"Ugh...Cole?" Jay murmured, his voice slurred. Cole gently set him down against the walls of the the Bounty. They were both dripping wet.

"Jay, are you okay?" Cole asked urgently. Jay shook his head and looked around.

"I don't know. I couldn't sleep so I went out on deck to relax myself. I guess I fell asleep," he answered, sounding tired.

"You too?" the black-haired ninja inquired. "I couldn't sleep well either,"

He helped his brother up and guided him to his room.

"Dry yourself," Cole said, handing Jay a dry towel from the bathroom and sitting him down on his own bed. "Then go sleep,"

Jay could only nod quietly. He rubbed his hair and body in the bathroom before climbing into bed and passing out.

Cole took the towel and dried himself with it too. He hoped Jay hadn't been out there too long.

"Cole, what happened?" Zane's voice came from his bed. Cole looked up.

"Jay was in the rain," he said. "He developed a fever,"

"Okay," Zane replied, getting up and heading to the bathroom. Cole noticed that his movements were slower than usual.

"Couldn't sleep?" he asked. Zane's head whipped in Cole's direction.

"Is it really that obvious?" he asked, smiling.

Cole smiled back, but his heart was numb.

_What's happening to us?_

* * *

The hours passed, and soon, Kai and Naoko awoke too. They met Cole, Zane, Nya and Sensei in the dining room.

"Hey guys," Kai said, yawning. Naoko gave a curt nod. Only now did Cole notice her eyes were slightly red.

"Hey," Nya greeted. She was the only one who didn't look tired.

"Where's Jay?" Naoko asked, sitting down and taking a bite of her breakfast.

"Sick," Cole said.

"Sensei, now that Kai and Naoko are here, we must ask you something," Zane said. Sensei shook his head.

"I know what it is you want to ask. You want to know why you all could not sleep last night." he said wisely. Naoko shuddered at remembering that terrifying dream.

Cole nodded. "Yeah,"

"It is because of Lloyd," Sensei said darkly. "My nephew's negative feelings have manifested, and it is affecting all of us. Nya and I may not look it, but we are tired as well."

"So how can we sleep soundly again?" Kai asked.

"We must make Lloyd feel at peace with himself." Sensei answered.

"But Sensei," Naoko said quietly. "he tried to attack me and trigger the dark fire."

"Yeah," Kai added angrily.

Sensei pulled his hat over his eyes but said nothing. Naoko felt even more out-of-place. She wished Lloyd wouldn't have this pressing desire for her. She wished she could make things right...

"Naoko, are you okay?" Nya asked worriedly, looking at her friend. Naoko fought back the tears that threatened to fall.

"Y-Yes." she replied shakily.

At least, she hoped she would be.

* * *

Jay rubbed his head, groaning. He was feeling tired, sick and cold all at the same time.

He was just glad he wasn't as cold as when he had been in the rain just now...

"You're awake, Jay," a low voice came from beside him.

Jay shot straight up, glancing around. He wasn't in bed. He was in...nothingness?

"Lloyd?" he said timidly.

Beside him stood the green ninja. He looked like he hadn't slept in weeks. His blonde hair was messed up bad, and his eyes were red and puffy.

"Lloyd, are you-"

"Quiet," Lloyd hissed, slapping his hand over Jay's mouth. It was cold against his warm face. He gulped and nodded quietly.

"Jay," Lloyd mumbled, withdrawing his hand. "Am I evil?"

Jay's emerald eyes widened. He didn't know how to respond.

"Am I!?" Lloyd roared, grabbing Jay's neck. Jay was trembling and sweating profusely, needing air that wouldn't come.

"N-No," he gasped, his voice barely audible.

"You're lying!" Lloyd yelled, shoving Jay to the ground roughly. The blue-clad ninja winced.

"But you k-kissed Naoko in front of K-Kai and..." Jay began. Lloyd's amethyst eyes flared with anger.

"I am not EVIL!" Lloyd bellowed, his voice dropping an octave. Jay whimpered, his heart palpitating so hard and fast that he could hear it reverberate in his skull.

Suddenly this purple mist cloud thing came out of Lloyd's body. It formed the shape of the boy, but had bright yellow eyes.

The expression on Lloyd's face changed from chagrin to fear and helplessness.

"He is the one who is evil," he squeaked. The mist cloud grinned evilly.

"My name is Lustanger," it said. It sounded like Lloyd's and Garmadon's voice mixed together. It was creepy.

"I was created by Lord Garmadon to kidnap Naoko," it continued dreamily. "That beautiful girl,"

"No way you're getting her!" Jay shouted, getting into a battle stance. Lustanger narrowed its eyes.

"We'll see,"

It entered Lloyd's body. Lloyd's eyes flashed a bright yellow, and he lunged forward. Jay jumped and brought his fists down onto Lloyd's skull. He then bounced forward and kicked sharply at his behind.

Lloyd screamed in fury and pain. He jumped up and kicked Jay right in the stomach, punching him and hitting his face as well.

Suddenly, there was a glint of light, and Jay suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. He paled and let out a silent scream as he saw the knife sticking out of his shoulder, blood oozing out.

"Good night, Jay," Lustanger's voice was the last thing he heard before blacking out.

* * *

"I think he's having a bad dream," Nya sighed.

They were gathered around Cole's bed where Jay slept. His face was contorted in fear and pain, his fists clenched tightly and beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

At that moment, his eyes flew open and he jolted awake, looking panicked.

"Guys..?" Jay squeaked. He was shaking terribly. Nya gave him a warm hug.

"Hello," she said, smiling. Jay smiled and hugged back.

"Guys, listen," Jay said after breaking away. "I had this dream that Lloyd was possessed by a purple spirit thing called Lustanger. He said Lord Garmadon had created him to come and kidnap Naoko,"

Naoko's face blanched as she felt her fists grow clammy. So I am the cause of the negative feelings.

"A-Are you sure it wasn't just another weird dream, Jay?" Kai asked hopefully.

"It is real," Zane said. "He is right. Lloyd has been possessed by the Demon of Violence." The nindroid narrowed his icy blue eyes.

"But how can we stop this thing?" Cole asked. "Unless we can make the Demon come out, there's no way we can destroy it without practically mauling Lloyd!"

"There is a way we can do this," Sensei Wu said suddenly. "Miss Take has a tea that may be able to drive out the demon,"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Nya cried. The ninja nodded.

"Speaking of which, where is that kid?" Jay asked.

"In his room. He hasn't come out since yesterday," Sensei sighed. "Jay, stay here and rest. Nya will stay too. We will go get the tea,"

Without waiting for an answer, Sensei hustled the rest of the ninja out of the room. Jay facepalmed.

"Are you feeling any better, Jay?" Nya asked. Jay nodded.

"I...I guess so," he replied.

He heard the ninja summon their Spinjitzu vehicles and leave. He sighed.

"I wish I could go too," he complained.

"Welcome to my world," Nya smiled sadly.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Nya and Jay gasped.

In the doorframe, stood Lloyd. His eyes glowed yellow and a dark purple aura was radiating from him.

"Where is she?"


	7. Chapter 7: True Potential

**Lalalalalalalalalala :D Hope you enjoy this chapter! R&R! Helpful feedback is welcomed! Enjoy!**

"Zane, any clue on where Jay could be?" Cole asked as they ran aimlessly along the dirt path in the sweltering sun. Zane nodded.

"My tracking system shows he is underground in a cave. I am unsure of his specific location, but he is in the desert." he replied.

"Okay. We'll head there," Kai said. Naoko nodded as well.

They turned their weapons into Spinjitzu vehicles and sped off for the desert. Naoko couldn't help but worry for Jay. She hoped he was okay. Garmadon...how she hated him. Sure, Jay had kinda insulted her a few times, and beat her in Mario Kart Wii, but he was fun to be around. Without him, the team...seemed less energetic.

"You okay?" Kai asked, not turning to look at her. Naoko sighed.

"I'm okay. I'm just worried about Jay," she said. Kai smiled sadly behind his mask. He had to admit though, he was anxious for that annoying chatterbox.

"Me too. But I'm sure we'll find him." he answered comfortingly. Naoko hugged Kai tighter.

"I hope so too,"

"Is that the cave?" Cole asked, gesturing towards a relatively large brown rock thingy that they were nearing.

"Let's check it out," Kai suggested. So they stopped at the cave and examined its interior.

There was an underground passageway in the cave. With Cole leading the way, they padded lightly down the steps. The walls were plain brown rock, as were the steps.

"I sense Jay's presence nearing," Zane whispered. Cole nodded.

"Good," he whispered back.

They came to the end of the staircase. A closed door stood in front of them. Naoko heard voices from the other side and put her ear to the door.

"Garm...what...with him?" The voice was creepy and slightly distorted.

"...ninja...here soon..." It was Garmadon's voice. She had to strain to hear it, it was so low.

"...can't wait...hear...master plan," the distorted voice came.

She turned to the others and motioned to the door.

"But they're expecting us," she breathed. Cole furrowed his eyebrows. "Just great," he whispered.

"Let's just do this," Kai whispered back determinatedly. Hesitating, Cole unsheathed his scythe and brought it down onto the door. CRASH! The door broke down, and the ninja jumped in.

Garmadon and Lustanger whirled around at the sound of the crash. Jay didn't stir.

"Ninja!" Garmadon screeched. Immediately, serpentine of all tribes began to crawl out of random crevices and holes in the walls, hissing menacingly.

"Ninja go!" Cole and Zane yelled simultaneously, forming icy and rocky tornadoes. They knocked out half the serpentine. Kai and Naoko fought side by side, with the fire ninja brandishing his flaming sword and the time ninja kicking and stabbing her daggers into any snake that came near.

"Cole, watch out!" Zane yelled as he kicked a Venomari who had been about to spit in Cole's face away.

"Thanks," Cole smiled at his brother. Zane smiled back. Kai and Naoko ran close to them. They had to stay as a team.

The ninja had defeated all the snakes. They watched Lord Garmadon closely.

Lustanger immediately flew into Lloyd. The boy immediately jumped up and began to fight the ninja. Naoko threw the jar of tea at Lloyd, and Lustanger immediately flew out, screeching.

"Now...possess the girl!" Garmadon commanded. Naoko's ashen eyes widened.

"No!" she screamed. Lustanger smirked and zipped into Naoko's before anybody could react.

"Naoko!" the ninja cried.

Garmadon laughed maniacally. "Too late, ninja!"

Kai glanced desperately at his crush. The time ninja stood, swaying slightly. She had purple and black smoke all around her body, and her grey eyes slowly turned that tawny yellow colour.

"Now, Lustanger, wish that the ninja were never born!" Garmadon shouted. Naoko glared at the ninja, her eyes enraged.

"Yes...master..." Lustanger's voice came, but it was weak.

Naoko closed her eyes and raised her arms up in the air. "I wish that..."

"Naoko, stop!" Kai yelled. "Please listen to me!"

Her eyebrows furrowed. "I wish that...Kai...Jay..."

As she chanted their names, Kai realised his legs slowly disintegrating into nothingness. He gasped. Looking in Jay's direction, he could see him asleep in the cage, his legs also disappearing.

"Cole...Zane..."

"Wh-What's happening?" Cole whimpered, staring down at his legs in panic.

"...And Lloyd..."

Lloyd's body started too.

"...were...n-never.."

"STOP!" Zane screamed.

Naoko held her head in agony. She fell to her knees.

"Lustanger, what are you doing!?" Garmadon shrieked. "Complete the wish!"

"I...am not...him!" Lustanger's voice changed to Naoko's. The purple demon wailed as it flew out of Naoko's mouth, looking extremely weak and tired.

Cole realised that he was no longer vanishing. He cheered and did a fist pump. "Yeah!"

Naoko groaned as she got up, but soon recovered. She whipped out her daggers.

"You cannot possess me. Because I control time around here!" she yelled, glowing silver. She began to rise up, light engulfing her.

"Is that..." Kai began.

"Naoko's true potential," Zane finished with a relieved smile.

Naoko dropped to the ground and darted over to Garmadon, kicking and punching so swiftly and quickly that she was a blur as she moved swiftly, hitting every part of Garmadon's body. Her eyes were a piercing blue, and they shone with power and determination.

"Ow! Stop that! Agh! Ouch!"

Meanwhile, Kai ran over to the cage where Jay was and burned the lock. Cole ran to get Lloyd, and Zane enclosed Lustanger in the jar.

Soon, Garmadon was lying on the ground with two black eyes and more than a few broken bones and bruises. Naoko stood over him, panting. The glow faded and she fell into Kai's arms, passed out.

"She must be exhausted," Kai commented, looking down lovingly at the time ninja. Cole and Zane just smiled.

"And now, we're all carrying someone," Cole added with a chuckle. Kai had Naoko, he had Lloyd, and Zane had Jay, who was still asleep.

"We need to get them home," Zane said. "Jay's body feels warmer than usual,"

The ninja nodded. They got their vehicles and sped out of the desert, leaving behind many unconscious or dead snakes and a severely injured Garmadon.

**You have no idea how badly I wanted Cole to be spat on by Venomari poison :) *evil grin* Please review, and thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8: The Real Chapter Seven

**AAAAAAAAHHH IM FREAKING OUT! D: I realised I TOTALLY forgot to post what happened after Lloyd walked in on Jay and Nya! OH NO! Weird, nobody noticed..oh well. This is the part, after a week I'm going to put it where it belongs, after Chapter 7. So technically...this is chapter seven. :/ GAH. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Sorry for the inconvenience!**

Nya immediately unsheathed two hidden knives concealed under her shirt. Her body posture turned defensive as she glared at Lloyd.

"Get away from us!" she spat.

Without hesitation, Jay quickly got out of bed and stood in front of Nya protectively.

"Jay, you shouldn't be fighting!" Nya whispered anxiously. Jay shook his head.

"No, I gotta protect you!" he replied determinatedly. "Ninja go!" Forming a blue electric tornado, he knocked Lloyd to his feet.

"Ugh!" the boy cried.

Panting, Jay resumed his battle position. Lloyd got up and ran forward to Nya, but the black-eyes girl was quick, and she blocked his attacks with her knives.

"We can't hurt him!" Nya groaned as she held her knives out in front of her.

Jay gritted his teeth. How could they defeat him without hurting him?

Lloyd began to shoot dark balls of fire and electricity at the blue ninja, who dodged as nimbly as he could. The fire burnt the walls, as did the electricity. Lloyd forcefully pushed Nya into Jay and Cole's bunk bed, sending the top bunk crashing down.

Suddenly, a pure evil grin spread over Lloyd's face. Before anyone could react, he pinned Nya down with her own knives, knocking her unconscious at the same time. Jay's eyes widened.

"Nya!" he yelled. But as he ran forward, Lloyd grabbed his neck, cutting off his oxygen.

Just like in the dream...

Jay gasped, the air he so desperately needed not coming. His legs kicked and his arms flailed.

"Good night, Jay," Lloyd growled.

He slapped a cloth over Jay's mouth and nose. The knock-out chemical entered his nose and Jay's head immediately fell limp.

He was out.

* * *

Cole gazed around at his surroundings dazedly. They had just entered the tea shop where Mystake (A/N: Yup, it's spelled that way) worked.

The tea shop was rather small. There was a big brown shelf beside one wall, filled with teas and herbs of all kinds. In front was a counter with a built-in cupboard. And in the middle stood two people. An elderly lady with ashen hair and a straw hat that resembled Sensei's was smiling, her face lined with wrinkles and signs of age. Beside her was a young bespectacled boy dressed in green, his violet eyes wide with curiosity at the ninja's attire.

"May I help you?" Mystake asked.

"Yes, Mystake. We need a tea that can drive out...demons." Sensei said.

"Ah, you want Terminator's Tea," the old lady smiled. She rummaged around in the cupboard built into the counter and finally took out a jar of dark herbs.

Sensei handed her his signature teapot. Mystake filled it with water and added the herbs, turning the water a dark colour.

"Here you go," she said, pushing the teapot towards Sensei Wu. He nodded, taking the pot and throwing some coins onto the counter.

"Oh, this jar is also a demon-trapping jar," she added. "Take it with you."

"Thank you," Sensei said.

Suddenly Zane's pale blue eyes widened. "Jay and Nya are in trouble!" he exclaimed.

Sensei hurried them out of the tea shop, thanking Mystake. "Hurry,"

* * *

"Nya!" Kai yelled as the ninja rushed into their bedroom, where they had last seen Jay and Nya.

The room was a disaster. The walls charred, the bunk beds broken, and broken glass on the floor.

A red figure was on the floor, pinned down by knives. Kai ran forward.

"Nya, wake up!" Kai yelled in panic, ignoring the pain in his arm as he yanked the knives out and shook his sister's shoulders in desperation. Nya's eyes fluttered open.

"Wha..?"

"Nya, what happened?" Naoko asked worriedly. Nya had cuts and bruises all over her arms, and she wasn't breathing too well.

"Lloyd...he took Jay...we couldn't hurt him..." Nya wheezed.

"We gotta go find him!" Cole commanded. "Nya, stay here and recover. We'll bring Jay home."

"I'll stay here and help Nya," Sensei said, passing the tea to Zane. "Take this, and don't lose any time!"

The white ninja nodded, and the ninja dashed out of the room.

As Sensei got bandages and cleaned Nya's wounds, his heart was deeply troubled.

Lloyd...


	9. Chapter 9: A Ruined Dinner Date

**Okay...sorry about me spazzing out just now ^^; I was just really anxious. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy, and sorry it's kinda short and boring-ish...**

Zane stared into space, chewing on his hamburger.

"Earth to Zane," Cole called, waving a hand in front of his face. Zane blinked and shook his head.

"S-Sorry," he said quickly.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Kai asked, his mouth full of food. Zane sighed.

"My thoughts are not even worth a penny. I wasn't thinking of anything. I suppose I am just tired," he said.

"We all are, Zane," Naoko said comfortingly. She and Jay had awoken, and were eating at the table. Lloyd was there too, but he was silent, picking at his food.

"Yeah, I mean, it's been a real long day," Cole smiled.

Inside, Naoko was a bit disappointed. Because they had spent the whole day out and were all pretty beat, she hadn't got to go out for dinner with Kai. Garmadon had ruined their plans again.

Oh well, at least she had unlocked her true potential. That had been pretty awesome.

She looked over at the fire ninja, and could tell he was thinking the same thing. It was all over his onyx eyes. Naoko bit into her fish burger, smiling at the taste of the tartar sauce and fish combined.

"Um..." Lloyd finally spoke. All heads turned to him, and he was met by ebony, emerald, silvery and chocolate stares.

The green ninja sighed, his amethyst eyes dejected. "I'm...I'm sorry everyone. I'm sorry for getting possessed by that demon thing and making everyone angry and sad and..." His voice trailed off.

Sensei patted him on the back. "What is done cannot be undone. It was not your fault that you were possessed. And the important thing is that you aren't any more." He gave a warm smile. "The demon is safely in a demon-proof jar, where he can't escape."

"Thanks, Uncle," Lloyd replied, brightening. The ninja smiled.

"You know, we didn't even have to use this," Zane pointed out thoughtfully, raising the Terminator's Tea. Sensei nodded.

Naoko stifled a yawn. She rose from the table, taking her plate with her to the kitchen. Dumping it into the sink, she turned and headed for the bedroom.

As she walked down the quiet hallway, she heard light footsteps behind her. Naoko glanced backwards and heaved a sigh of relief. It was only Kai.

"Don't scare me like that," she said as he ran to walk beside her. Kai chortled.

"Sorry." he said. They walked in silence for a bit.

Naoko decided to break the silence."Uh, I thought since maybe we didn't get a chance to, um, hang out, would you wanna...do it tomorrow?" she asked, a blush creeping onto her face.

Kai suddenly had this smug look on his face.

"Why wait?" he said.

Naoko's grey eyes widened as Kai grabbed her waist, pulled her close and kissed her. As her heart beat wildly in her chest, she closed her eyes, and kissed him back. His mouth tasted like hamburger, but she didn't care.

It was their first kiss.

Oxygen soon became a problem, and they broke away gasping, their faces as red as Kai's ninja suit. His dark eyes went wide as he realised what he had just done.

"Oh man, Naoko, I-I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me, I-" he began, flustered.

"Shh," Naoko giggled, cutting him off. "I kinda...liked that,"

She took his hand, beamed at him, and continued down the hallway, her heart aflutter with love and satisfaction.

"Now...how about a game of Super Smash Brothers Brawl?"

Kai nodded eagerly, and they went into the game room and started playing. An hour passed, and the Bounty had gone quiet. Kai and Naoko were lounging around, surprisingly not asleep yet.

Naoko nibbled on a piece of cheese, staring at Kai with large ash-coloured eyes. He smiled. She looked so adorable sitting there, with her large eyes, and that delicious piece of cheese...

"Hey, um..." she said suddenly, snapping Kai out of his trance. "Would you like to...I don't know...hear a song? It's Japanese."

"I didn't know you liked singing," Kai said, slightly surprised.

"I told you that in Chapter Two," Naoko sighed. Kai just gave her a blank look. She laughed. "Never mind."

"Sure, I'd love to hear a song. Just don't sing too loudly, okay? The others are probably sleeping." he said.

Naoko nodded. She was feeling a bit nervous. Before joining the ninja, she had been practicing on this song a lot. It was one of her favourites.

"Okay, here goes," she said. Taking a deep breath, she began to sing.

_"Habata itara mondoronai, to ittte_

_Mezashita no wa aoi aoi ano sora..."_

Kai listened, smiling. He never knew Naoko could sing so well. Her voice was smooth and clear, unlike how she usually spoke, which was timid and soft. The song was beautiful, and hearing Naoko sing it made it even better.

"That was amazing," Kai smiled when she finished. "What's that song called?"

"Blue Bird. I think it's written by Ikimono Gakari." Naoko said. "Glad you liked it. I used to sing that song to my baby brother to comfort him when Dad was out." She averted her gaze.

"You miss them, don't you?" Kai asked, his voice comforting and understanding.

Naoko nodded. "Yeah. But I'd rather be here...with you...and the guys," she added, smiling.

Kai gave her a light kiss on the cheek and hugged her. "I promise, after we defeat Lord Garmadon, you can see them again."

"Thanks, Kai."

"No prob."

Naoko went silent, and Kai knew she had gone to sleep. She was leaning on his shoulder on the couch where they sat. Kai felt his eyelids droop.

_Good night, Naoko._

He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, the calmness and stillness of the room keeping him at peace and sending him into slumber.

**OWAAAH. xD I'm tired...R&R please! Be awesome, and have a good day/night!**


	10. Chapter 10: Kidnapped Again!

**Why are these chapters getting shorter and shorter? D: Do you guys notice the length? Well anyway, here's another chapter. R&R please! Hope you enjoy!**

When Jay got up the next morning, he realised he had slept the whole night, without any interruption. Now that the demon was sealed and had been released back into the Underworld, Lloyd's feelings were probably intact already.

As he climbed down from his place on the bunk, he noticed that Kai and Naoko were missing. Raising an eyebrow, he exited the room and went to find them.

They were in the game room, asleep.

Kai was sitting on the sofa, asleep. He appeared to have been sitting up straight, but he had moved to a slouching position. His chest rose and fell rhythmically. Naoko's head had slipped off his shoulder, and she was curled up on the sofa beside the fire ninja, snoring softly.

Jay smiled. Maybe Nya and I should do that one day, he thought. Just the thought of cuddling with Nya made him flush.

Naoko stirred, and she got up, yawning. She hadn't noticed Jay yet.

"We fell asleep, huh?" she mumbled to herself, rubbing the tiredness out of her eyes. She got up, turned around and saw the blue-clad ninja still in his pyjamas, standing in the doorway.

"Oh! Jay, I didn't notice you," Naoko gasped quietly. "Um...how long have you been there?"

"I just came," Jay grinned. "You guys are so cute together,"

Naoko blushed. "Th-Thanks...?"

Jay laughed. "I'm making breakfast today, what would you like, young lady?" he asked as the two walked out of the game room.

Naoko thought for a moment. "Pancakes," she smiled.

Jay nodded and hurried to the kitchen while Naoko went to change and brush up.

You guys are so cute together.

"That we are," she sighed dreamily, brushing her teeth.

That we are.

She finished doing her stuff and exited the bathroom, dressed in an aquamarine shirt and shorts, since she had spent the night in her ninja suit. She also wore her grey hoodie and her ninja belt, just in case. Her daggers were within easy reach.

Suddenly, as Naoko reached for the doorknob, she felt two strong, scaly arms grab her from behind. One held a knife dangerously to her throat. She gasped.

"Scream and this goes straight in," Pythor hissed. Naoko gulped, not daring to move.

Don't worry, she thought. Zane will sense this and tell the others. He will.

Won't he?

Thinking quickly, she discreetly undid her black leather belt and let it fall to the floor, still holding her daggers. She clutched their handles tightly and concealed them under the sleeves of her hoodie. Thankfully, Pythor didn't seem to notice. Maintaining a firm grip on Naoko, he jumped out of the window into the warm morning air. Naoko shut her eyes uncomfortably. It was fine when she had been on Kai's Blade Cycle, but in the arms of Pythor? Not so much.

The Anacondrai landed on the top of the lime green serpentine bus, and they sped off.

* * *

Thankfully, Zane sensed it.

The ninja were in the dining room having the pancakes, which surprisingly tasted decent, when Zane's head began to hurt. At first he tried to ignore it, but then he realised what it could mean.

"Guys, where's Naoko?" he asked worriedly.

Kai was puzzled at first. He was wearing his casual attire as well, a red jacket with jeans."Zane, what's with the random quest-oh no." He hurriedly rose and ran to their bedroom, struggling to calm the nervousness rising inside him. Please, Naoko, be safe, be safe...

He shoved the door open and his eyes frantically scanned the room.

Empty. Nothing except Naoko's black leather belt lying on the floor.

"They took her!" Kai groaned, picking up the belt. "Zane, can you sense her anywhere?"

Zane checked the tracking system. "Yes. She is about to leave Ninjago City. We must find her. My early assessment tells me we don't have much time," he said anxiously.

"Then we gotta find her! I'll tell Nya," Cole said, running off to the bridge. The rest of the ninja followed suit. Kai looked at the leather belt in his hand and sighed.

"Don't worry, Naoko. We'll find you. Please stay safe," he whispered, wrapping the belt around his own waist before following his brothers into the bridge.

Nya was reading up on Fangpyres when the ninja came in.

"Nya! Naoko's gone, again!" Cole cried. Nya instantly dropped the book and checked the big screen.

"It's Pythor! He's on the outskirts of Ninjago city, nearly leaving it." she said.

"Let's go!" Jay said, taking the wheel of the Bounty. They headed in the direction where the red dot was going.

* * *

Meanwhile, Naoko was now inside the bus, tied up with ropes, her mouth covered with a cloth. She sat helplessly, glaring at the snakes that hissed around her.

"The ninja are gonna come, and you're gonna pay for this! They're gonna get me back!" she yelled, her voice muffled by the cloth.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Pythor said, cupping his ear to his hand. "I'm afraid I can't hear you, my dear,"

A Hypnobrai kicked her back, causing her to fall over onto the dusty, dirty floor of the bus. The snake laughed evilly.

Naoko sighed. She hated being humiliated like this. She couldn't use her daggers to free herself as her arms were bound tightly.

Oh ninja, please hurry...


	11. Chapter 11: Panic

**Have any of you ever been to Universal Studios? :D I went there today and it was AWESOME! Anyway, hope you enjoy! I worked hard on this again, so..yeah. Read and review please!**

Zane took out his shurikens and flung them at the door, freezing it in less than a few seconds. Cole then brought his scythe down upon it, making a huge hole in the middle.

On the other side was a big, empty room. It was grey and metal all over, the temperature felt less than 10 degrees Celsius, and the atmosphere in the room was tense and uncomfortable.

Keeping silent, the ninja sprinted down a long passageway. Jay could feel fear gripping his heart as they trod on. This place just looked and felt so morbid.

A door at the end of the passageway the ninja opened, revealing another metal room. Some snakes were lying on the floor, unconscious. Broken shards of glass and drops of blood were on the floor as well. And a large glass jar, its side completely shattered.

"Naoko was here," Zane said. "I feel her presence in this building strongly, and so far, she seems to be doing all right."

The ninja walked to the door in the corner and opened it. Another hallway, with many doors on the sides.

"Oh come on!" Jay groaned. "We'll never find her!"

"Never say never," Kai said.

He walked down the hall, listening out for any signs of Naoko.

"Hyaaa!"

At that sound, Kai jerked his head to his right sharply towards a door.

"She's here!" he cried, yanking the door open as his brothers ran up to him.

Naoko's eyes flew to the door, which had been flung open. Kai! Her frown melted into a determined smile as she slammed a last snake onto the ground and ran towards the ninja.

"Guys! You came!" she squealed, hugging each of them as tightly as she possibly could, including Lloyd. Her eyes shone with joy and relief. The ninja couldn't help but smile at the cheerful young girl.

"Glad to see you're safe. Now we gotta get outta here," Kai said, his expression turning grim. "I don't like it here."

"Who does?" Jay added, a note of hysteria in his voice. Zane could tell he was getting worked up, but...why?

"We need to go, before Garmadon realises you're here," Naoko warned. "Let's g-"

"So! You have finally come, ninja," a deep voice came from behind them.

The ninja whirled around, only to come face-to-face with Garmadon. Beside him, stood Pythor, smiling deviously. And behind them came troops and troops of serpentine.

"Oh no," Naoko gasped. Her wide eyes darted to the tasers in Garmadon's hands. Oh no, oh no, oh no.

"Oh yes, my young Naoko," Garmadon said, as if he could read her thoughts. He turned to Lloyd, who had assumed a battle stance and had narrowed his amethyst eyes.

"And hello, dear son," he said slowly. Lloyd searched his father's red eyes desperately. He knew that there was still good in him. There had to be. He didn't have to do this.

"Hello, Dad," Lloyd answered, maintaining eye contact with his father.

The ninja all unsheathed their weapons and held them out, ready to fight.

"You'll never get us, Garmadon," Cole spat angrily.

"Attack!" Pythor commanded, jabbing a finger at the ninja. The snakes behind all rushed forward, hissing notoriously.

Kai ducked, dodging some Venomari spit and conked two snakes on the head with his fists. He brandished his sword, knocking out more than a few snakes as well.

Jay squeaked and jumped back as a Fangpyre lashed out at him, baring its sharp fangs and hissing wildly. He struck the snake with his nunchucks, electrocuting it in the process. The snake was floored, and Jay smiled victoriously.

Zane hit and slashed with his shurikens, the blades cutting the snakes' scaly skin. He jumped up and delivered a hard kick to a Hypnobrai's skull, emitting a sickening smack as the snake fell to the ground.

Cole drove his scythe into the ground, making the earth around him shake slightly. While the Constrictai were steadying themselves, he seized the opportunity to grab them and slam them onto the hard concrete floor. Blood began forming puddles on the ground.

Naoko jumped back as Garmadon thrust the taser in his hand towards her. She jabbed her dagger in his direction vigorously, but missed. The end of the taser brushed against the metal end of her dagger, and Naoko felt electricity stab her heart again. She groaned and fell to her knees.

"Dad, don't hurt her!" Lloyd yelled, making a ball of green elements in his hands and shooting it at his father, sending him flying a distance. He ran up to Naoko and stood in front of her.

She shakily got up and tried to ignore the ringing in her ears. "Thanks," she whispered. Lloyd only nodded.

"Don't get into this, son!" Garmadon shouted. "I do not wish to hurt you!" Lloyd stood his ground.

"If you continue hurting my friends, then maybe you have to!" he cried.

"Lloyd, get away!" Kai urged. "The prophesy might not be fulfilled if you do this now!" His eyes glinted as Lloyd turned to face him.

"We'll handle this," Kai whispered. Lloyd reluctantly nodded. He glared at his father before stepping back.

Garmadon gave the ninja a small smirk. Cole saw the slight gratitude in his smirk, as if thanking them for saving him from the battle with his son.

_He won't be grateful when we kick his black, evil butt, _he thought. Cole held his scythe out, as did the others.

"You can't get all of us, Garmadon!" Kai said, narrowing his eyes.

"Did you forget about me already?" Pythor's voice came from not far. He slithered up to them, a malicious grin on his face, his words dripping with evil.

"Pythor," Zane murmured.

The purple Anacondrai revealed his weapons: two black, sheen katanas. The dim light in the room reflected on the blades, making them seem even more sinister.

Immediately, he tackled Kai, and they fought sword-to-katana. Jay ran to help him. Cole and Zane went for Lord Garmadon. He raised his tasers and managed to shock Cole, but Zane quickly jumped away.

"Cole, are you okay?" Naoko asked worriedly. Cole could only nod and get up. Naoko ran forward, recovering from her shock. She knew what they needed to do, and they needed to do it now.

"Zane! Destroy the tasers! But don't touch them!" she yelled, throwing her dagger towards a taser. She got it straight in the middle, and it began to spark and short-circuit.

Garmadon's red eyes widened. "No!"

Zane threw his shurikens at Garmadon, and they hit two of the tasers, destroying them. Garmadon dropped them and began to run.

Meanwhile, Kai had knocked Pythor over with his sword, and pointed the tip of his sword to his face. Jay held his body down. Pythor's expression still did not change.

"You're defeated, Pythor! Surrender now!" Jay cried.

"Do you really think it's gonna be that easy?" Pythor hissed. Suddenly Jay felt searing heat shoot up his arms, and he let out a cry of pain and jumped back.

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" he shrieked. Kai instantly jabbed his sword downwards, attempting to stab Pythor in the chest. The snake dodged swiftly, brandishing his katanas. Kai ducked as a katana was swung at his head, narrowly missing his head.

"Jay, are you okay?" he asked as he avoided the attacks. Jay had removed his gloves and was staring at his hands. They were red and beginning to blister.

"I don't know!" he yelled back, feeling his heartbeat accelerate and his mind messing up. He couldn't think straight anymore! He was panicking!

"Jay, what's wrong?" Cole, Lloyd and Zane ran towards the hyper-ventilating blue ninja, concern and confusion spreading over their faces. Naoko cut a pitiful glance in Jay's direction before running to help Kai. Cole grabbed his brother's shoulders and shook him.

"Jay! Calm down!" he ordered sharply. The green, wide-eyed boy stared back at him, his body trembling and his hands throbbing. A faint blue aura surrounded him.

"C-Cole, i-it hurts! It hurts!" Jay whined, tears flowing down his cheeks. "I don't know what to do! I'm lost! Help me!"

"Zane, what's wrong with him?" Lloyd asked as Cole sat his injured brother down and tried to calm him. Zane furrowed his eyebrows.

"Pythor must have burned him with the dark fire, but it seems to affect him in a different way. If we do not calm him, he will be consumed," he said urgently.

Cole looked into his brother's panicked, emerald green eyes. "Jay, it's okay. There's nothing wrong, nothing wrong..."

Zane looked up at his other comrades, who were fighting Pythor. Garmadon was nowhere in sight. He must have gotten away. It didn't matter though. Lloyd would face him another day, when the time was right.

Kai panted as he pushed Pythor to the ground again, this time holding him down with his sword. His burnt arm was aching like mad, but he did not falter. Naoko then drove her dagger into Pythor's arm. It sank deeply into his skin, making him cry out in agony and drop the katana he was holding with that hand. He glared at Naoko.

"You fool!" he screeched. "Prepare to perish!"

He jumped up, snatched Naoko's dagger from her and swung it wildly. Kai winced as the tip of the dagger pressed into his shoulder, extracting fresh blood which stained his already crimson red jacket.

"Don't hurt him!" Naoko cried, lunging forward and trying to stab him with her one dagger.

She didn't see the pure evil glint in his wicked violet eyes.

A quick flick of his wrist, and the knife went straight into Naoko's stomach.

**Apologies for the long wait for the chapter!**


	12. Chapter 12: Rage Mode

**Hi hi hi :D POTATO! LOL sorry, I ate WAAAY too much sugar just now so...I'm really happy and hyper now xD Well anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! Read and review please! Thanks to everyone who has reviewed so far! :)**

Pythor's chest heaved as he clutched his injured arm and stared at the wounded girl. His mouth curled into an insane grin and he laughed quietly.

There was a tense silence in the air as Naoko slowly stumbled backwards, her pupils turning dilated. She slumped onto the ground and tried to keep her eyes open. The pain was blinding and she could already taste metal in her mouth.

The rest of the ninja gasped. "Naoko!" Kai cried in anguish as he ran over to her, not caring about his own wound. The dagger had not went through all the way, at least. Deep red blood was leaking out of the stab mark, the red thick liquid making a red circle on her hoodie that grew larger and larger.

"Z-Zane, go see if you can help Naoko. I'll try to get Jay back." Cole said, turning to his white-clad brother. His voice was shaky and Zane could see his brown eyes tearing. He nodded solemnly and ran over to Naoko and Kai.

"I-It's bad," Kai mumbled, tears streaming down his face. Zane glanced hesitantly at the dagger in Naoko's stomach before slowly yanking it out, making Naoko's face blanch. As he tore the sleeve of his ninja suit off and gently but tightly wrapped it around Naoko's stomach, he sensed something was about to pop. Explode. Kaboom.

That something...or someone...was Kai.

"You...you monster!" Kai stood up, pointing at Pythor. "You're freakin' horrible!" he screamed, letting fury and despair take over his body. His eyes flashed red and hot flames surrounded him. The area where his hoodie sleeve covered his burn disintegrated, revealing it underneath.

Zane felt fear grip his heart. This wasn't going to end well...

Naoko stirred in his arms, making a pained groaning noise. He could feel that she wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

"Whuh..what happened?" Jay's voice came from not far. He was out of the dark fire state, and the aura faded. Cole could only smile weakly.

"W-Welcome back, Jay..."

"Cole? What—hey, what's wrong with Kai?" Jay asked, confusion prominent on his face.

"Kai's dark fire is here."

Expletives poured out of Kai's mouth like molten lava spewing from a volcano as he lunged at Pythor in pure chagrin, baring his teeth and throwing punches here and there. Zane covered Naoko's ears with his hands and blocked out his sound input.

"Kai, please calm down!" he yelled desperately. "Don't be consumed by the dark fire!"

"Kai!" Cole shouted. "Relax!"

"I can't!" Kai roared, still going full-out rage mode on Pythor. In less than a few minutes, the snake was sprawled on the ground, nearly dead, and bleeding from his arm, chest and head.

Kai wasn't satisfied, though. He turned to his brothers, who inched away slowly. His flaming red eyes were ablaze with anger, and he was breathing heavily.

"You can all DIE!" he bellowed, tackling green ninja hurriedly jumped away.

"Kai, I don't wanna hurt you!" he warned desperately, doing his utmost to avoid every kick and punch Kai thrust at him.

Naoko blinked tiredly, watching the scene in front of her unfold. She wanted to do something, but it seemed like her limbs were paralysed and her body was in too much agony for her to even move. Her vision swayed and she couldn't breathe...

"Kai..." Naoko gasped, coughing out some blood. Zane looked down at her worriedly.

"Just hang on, Naoko," he urged, shaking her slightly. "Stay awake, stay awake,"

"Uggghhh..." she moaned. Kai...she needed to get to him...now...

She began to stand up slowly and shakily, blinding pain still coursing through her body with every move she made.

"Naoko, d—" Zane began, but was cut off when their leader put a hand on his shoulder.

"She's going to calm Kai down." he assured knowingly. Zane's eyes carefully watched the girl staggering over to where Kai and Jay were duelling, her figure swaying dangerously.

Zane quickly took action and ran over to her, putting her arm over his and supporting her body so that she could walk easier. Cole and Jay helped as well. Jay swore he could have caught a glimpse of Naoko smilie waveringly.

Kai was holding Lloyd by the collar, about to sock him in the face, when he heard Naoko grunt beside him. He turned to face her, his angry features slowly softening. Zane, Cole and Jay hastily backed off.

"N-Naoko?" he said, letting go of Lloyd, who scrambled to the side. Naoko looked into Kai's eyes, her chest heaving and her eyelids drooping. She stumbled forward and wrapped her arms around him in a frail hug.

"Kai...I love you..." she sighed. The flames surrounding the fire ninja began to shrink. The other ninja's faces lit up in delight.

"It's working!" Jay squealed.

"Naoko...I..." Kai started. Before he could say anything else, Naoko smiled and intimately kissed him. As the flames around them slowly faded, Kai's eyes returned to normal again, and he closed them. It was absolute bliss, minus the slight taste of metal on Naoko's soft tongue. He gently pressed Naoko closer to him, feeling her short brown hair.

Naoko pulled away, panting. Heat surged through both of their bodies, pulsating in their arms which were affectionately wrapped around one another.

Naoko's eyes rolled back into her head and she fell into Kai's arms, unconscious. Kai suddenly felt exhausted as his brothers ran up to him.

"Kai, you're okay!" Lloyd exclaimed gleefully.

"We need to get them to a hospital now," Zane announced, taking Naoko from Kai.

Jay was confused. "But why does Kai need to go?"

At that very moment, pain spiked in said ninja's head, and Kai grunted and passed out.

* * *

He felt so tired.

And his body wouldn't stop shaking. He was freezing.

Or was he?

Kai forced his onyx eyes open. Surprisingly, he wasn't struck by blinding light. Instead, he was somewhere dimly lit by moonlight.

A small, cozy hospital ward. A door opposite him had something tacked to it. He was lying in a soft hospital bed, no longer in his hoodie and jeans, but in a plain red T-shirt and knee-length trousers. Pale moonlight shone in through the window above his head, forming a neat square of light on his blanket.

As Kai tried to sit up, slight discomfort was aroused in his shoulder. He gently pulled back the collar of his shirt, revealing clean, white bandages wrapped around his shoulder.

Suddenly, his mind raced back to before he had passed out. "Naoko," he breathed aloud. He needed to make sure she was okay. But he felt exhausted, his arm was burning, and he had a fever.

_I need to find her...she brought me back...the kiss...oh man..._

As he got out of bed and went to the door, he took the note off the door.

_Dear Kai,_

_Naoko is in Ward 28 if you would like to see her. Walk to your left and turn right at the nearest junction._

_Yours truly,_

_Cole, Jay, Zane, Lloyd, Nya and Sensei Wu_

Kai smiled at his friends' somewhat messy handwriting. Only Nya's and Sensei's were more than illegible.

Crushing the note in his fist, he quietly turned the doorknob and slipped out into the silent hallways of the hospital. The hospital felt colder than the place they had fought Lord Garmadon, which was saying something. Or maybe that was just because he was wearing very little and was sick.

"26, 27, 28," Kai whispered to himself, staring up at the number plates above the doors. He soundlessly pushed the door open and peeked in.

The light was off, like in his own room. The ward looked exactly like his own, but had a slender figure lying in the bed, asleep. Kai slowly shuffled up beside her bed, his eyes fixed on her face.

Naoko was wearing what seemed like an orange singlet. Kai could see the bandages under her clothes, slightly stained red. Pythor did this. He clenched his fists slightly, but then reminded himself: He's dead. You killed him. Don't get angry.

He sighed and brushed Naoko's brown bangs away from her face, which he felt was coated with sweat. He wiped off the sweat and rubbed it onto his shirt.

_I'm sorry you had to suffer for me. Thank you, Naoko. See you in the morning._

And as he turned to leave, Kai looked back at the sleeping girl and smiled.

"I love you too,"

**Well, I'm glad that turned out well ^^ Good day/night everyone, and see ya!**


	13. Chapter 13: Life Is Never Normal

**I'm listening to ****Owl City now :D Enjoy! One more chapter after this, probably.**

The first sign of sun shone through the windows of the Bounty, warming the room and illuminating it. The sky was a serene light blue, the air was fresh, and it was breezy.

Nya rubbed her eyes and sat up in bed. The Bounty was quiet and peaceful, making her want to go back to sleep. But she forced herself up.

As she washed up and got dressed, she kept thinking about her brother. She hoped he was doing alright in the hospital. Nya was also worried for Naoko. She had heard about the fight, the dark fire and everything, and it flustered her.

After combing through her jet black hair for the third time, Nya ambled out of her room and made her way to the dining area. It was empty, but she could hear faint sizzling noises from the kitchen.

"Good morning, Zane," she smiled as she entered. The nindroid looked up and grinned back. He was making pancakes again, wearing that pink flowery apron of his.

"Good morning, Nya," he replied politely. "I trust you have slept well?"

Nya nodded. "Yeah," She took a carton of milk out of the refrigerator and poured herself a glass.

"We're gonna have to go grocery shopping soon," she giggled. Zane chuckled.

"Agreed,"

The two stood in awkward silence for a while, with only the sound of pancakes sizzling on the pan.

_Grocery shopping. It would be nice to do something normal again_, Zane thought inwardly. _But the life of a ninja is never normal._

* * *

Blinking, Naoko gazed around her ward as she awoke. The room was all white and small. She recollected her thoughts and memories from yesterday, trying to remember what had happened.

Pythor had stabbed her, which probably explained the ache in her stomach. She had kissed Kai and calmed him down. The world was safe. Pythor was dead.

She sat up carefully, doing her best not to trigger pain in her body. The room was quiet and cold, sending goosebumps popping up all over her bare arms. She rubbed them and sighed.

There was a quiet knock on the door. Naoko cocked her head slightly, saying, "Come in,"

A head with brown, spiked hair stuck in and looked at her. She smiled.

"Hey Kai," she greeted as he came into the room.

"Hi Naoko," he said, taking a seat beside her. His eyes were dark with worry. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty okay for someone who got stabbed in the stomach by her own dagger," she replied lightly. Kai's eyes softened as he smiled.

"Good to hear that."

"Good morning, Naoko," a kind, motherly voice came from the doorway.

Naoko looked up to see a white-clad nurse. She had curly black hair and wore a sweet smile on her face. In her hands she carried a metal tray with some food on it. Under her arm she clamped a brown clipboard with some papers attached to it.

"My name is Janice and I'll be your nurse for today. Are you hungry?" she asked politely, giving an acknowledging nod in Kai's direction as well.

"I guess I could go for a bite," Naoko answered softly as the nurse set the tray on her lap, resting on the bed with steel legs. "Thank you,"

"Oh please, it's my job to help people," Janice said. "And who might this young man be?"

"I'm Kai," Kai said. "Nice to meet you."

"Good morning, Kai. Are you a patient as well or a visitor?" the curly-haired woman asked, flipping through the papers on her clipboard.

"Uh...patient," the spiky-haired boy replied. While he and Janice were talking, Naoko looked down at her food, which was buttered toast and some water. She took the buttered toast and moved it soundlessly to her lips, taking a bite and chewing slowly. It tasted good, not much, but it was good.

Naoko finished her food and sipped the water elegantly. Janice then took the tray, said goodbye and left.

"Aren't you going to go have your own breakfast?" Naoko asked Kai when she had left.

Kai shook his head. "Not hungry for some reason,"

At that moment, the door opened, and the ninja all trooped in, including Sensei and Nya.

"Kai, you're alright!" Nya exclaimed happily as she ran forward and gently hugged her brother. Kai smiled and hugged back.

"How do you two feel?" Sensei asked as they all gathered around Naoko's bed.

"Not too bad," Naoko said. "Kai doesn't have an appetite, though."

"That may be a side-effect of the dark fire," Zane said.

"Jay was burnt by the dark fire too, right?" Lloyd asked. "Why doesn't he have side-effects too?"

"He wasn't burnt as badly as you were," Cole explained. Jay nodded. Only now did Naoko see that bandages had replaced his usually gloved hands. She had also noticed that he hadn't said a word since he stepped in. Maybe that's a side effect of itself, she thought.

"Oh..."

* * *

Naoko fingered her soft Milo-coloured hair thoughtfully as she glued her eyes to the television. Jay and Cole were playing video games. Zane had gone out to get groceries.

Kai sat on the couch beside her, watching as well.

"Hey, Naoko...when's your birthday?" he asked.

"4th March," she replied almost immediately. "When's yours?"

"14th April," Kai answered.

Naoko made a mental note. "Cool, that's next week," she stated, smiling.

She sighed and rested her head on his not-injured shoulder, making Kai's face flush. Naoko felt his body temperature rise and giggled lightly.

"Sorry," she said, lifting her head. Kai could see the pink tint on her face as well. He hurriedly shook his head.

"No, no, it's fine," he smiled. Naoko put her head on his shoulder again and continued to watch the game.

Jay threw his hands up in frustration as Cole beat him at the video game.

"Ugh! It's not fair! My hands are burnt so I can't play well!" he complained, falling back onto the floor. Cole couldn't suppress his victorious grin as he looked at his infuriated brother lying on the ground, defeat plainly scribbled all over his face.

"It's just a game, Jay. No need to get so worked up." Cole said, turning the game off and unplugging it from the TV. Jay sighed.

"But it's a game I was good at," he whined.

Naoko rose and checked the time. It was nearly lunchtime.

"Well, what do we do now?" she asked the boys brightly.

"Why don't you stage another performance?" Kai suggested, a playful look in his dark eyes.

"A what?" Cole and Jay blurted out in unison.

Naoko giggled. "Like, I can sing a song for you guys if you want."

"Oh. Alright then." Cole said. Jay nodded.

Naoko thought for a moment. What song should she sing? English or Japanese?

An idea struck her and she smiled. She began singing.

_"It's time for training and we're getting started,_

_It's on you know_

_And we wanna see you whip and shout it_

_We rock, you roll,"_

Kai joined in the singing.

_"They say, go slow_

_And everything just stands so still_

_We say, go go_

_We're ready for the fight you know the drill,"_

Naoko was surprised at how good Kai was at singing. I mean, sure she knew he had a good voice, but she had some competition going on here! His voice was determined and cheerful, making her happy.

"That was awesome, guys!" Cole grinned. "You should try out for the talent show one day,"

A line of pink crossed Naoko's nose bridge. "U-Us? I don't know...I'm not used to singing in front of large groups of people," she sighed, exchanging embarrassed glances with Kai.

"Aw, come on! I think you guys could win it!" Jay said encouragingly.

"Yeah, your voice is really nice and smooth. You also show a lot of emotion when you sing, and..." His voice trailed off as he realised he AGAIN was starting to sound like Jay.

"Heh, you don't sound too bad yourself," Naoko winked.

"Man, ever notice how Kai sounds a lot like Jay when Naoko's in the premises?" Cole snickered.

"HEY!" Kai and Jay shouted in protest, their faces going red. Naoko laughed.

"When's the next Talent Show?" she asked.

"Not sure. We'll have to go to Ninjago City and look for flyers." Cole said.

"Lunch is ready!" Nya's voice called from outside.

Kai's stomach growled loudly, and his face grew even redder.

"Come on. Let's go eat," Jay laughed. As he and Cole left the room, Kai and Naoko followed close behind.

"D-Do I really sound good?" Naoko asked unconfidently. Kai nodded, taking her hand.

"Yeah. I really meant all those things I said just now, Naoko." he said, his voice sounding serious. "You're a really good singer, and I know you'll win that Talent Show."

Naoko smiled, clutching Kai's hand harder. "Thank you, Kai. You're awesome too."

He gave her a light kiss on the cheek, making her blush ferociously. "Thanks,"

**Help me decide, should the next chapter be:**

**1. A chapter from Naoko's POV, rounding it up**

**2. the first day of school for Naoko**

**Read and review dear readers! :) Thank you!**


	14. Chapter 14: Possibly the end NOT!

**Kai: Ehh...is this thing on?**

**Me: Yes...**

**Kai: Oh. Okay. Well hi!**

**Me: -_- Anyway, this is the last chapter of Time Will Tell! It went by so quickly :'(**

**Kai: Geez, it's just a story. :/**

**Me: *holds ray gun to his face* YOU. TAKE. THAT. BACK.**

**Kai: O_o**

**Me: Read and review while I threaten Kai! Thank you! :D Oh and btw, sorry for the long wait as I THOUGHT I had posted this chapter, like, MONTHS ago, but it actually wasn't. At least thats what I think cuz no one reviewed or anything. :( Anyway, hope you enjoy... *coughfanfictionisatrollcough ***

I yawned as I sat down at my desk in the empty classroom, doodling in my notebook. The first day of school after summer holiday was always the loneliest for me.

The classroom had definitely been cleaned over the summer. It smelled slightly of detergent. The brown tables were all neatly arranged in straight rows, sunlight from the windows shining in onto them. The clock on the wall ticked mundanely. The notice boards had been stripped of all notices and posters, leaving only the grey backing.

"I miss the ninja," I sighed, "and Nya, and Sensei..."

Kai, the boy with spiked brown hair who stole my heart. Or perhaps I gave it to him...but whatever. He was really kind, even though he was impatient at times and could be an idiot, I loved him anyway.

Jay, the funny guy. He loved to crack jokes, overexplain things and always beat me at video games. He had been slightly stand-offish at first, but he was really nice and fun to be around.

Zane, the blue-eyed one. I had found out he was actually a nindroid, which was cool. He helped cheer me up when I had been feeling sad. I liked his voice and his sixth sense was really neat. And he made awesome food.

Cole, the leader of the ninja. Strong and dependable, and quite protective as well. He cared a lot for his team mates, and his plans almost always succeeded. A good friend.

Nya, the feisty girl. She really could pack a punch, and she was a samurai. She always had my back, and had welcomed me with hospitality and kindness.

Lloyd, the green ninja. My first impression of him hadn't been too good, as he had been possessed by the Demon of Violence and tried to seduce me. Egh. But after that, he apologised and we had become good friends.

Some other students arrived and took their seats, paying no attention to me sitting in the corner. I observed them.

A black-haired boy wearing a blue sweater vest and brown pants, carrying a brown book bag. A short girl with long blonde hair wearing a light green sundress and carrying a brown sling bag. Another taller girl with black hair cut me a glance, her amethyst eyes flashing. She wore a long T-shirt and tights, and carried her books in her arms.

I smiled back politely in her direction and went back to drawing. My hand had mysteriously doodled a simple, cute drawing of Kai. I giggled softly as I ripped the page out and slipped it into my lime green folder. Nobody at school could see that.

"Hey, Naoko," a girl carrying a pink school bag and some books came up to me and sat down at the desk beside me. She was tan and had long chestnut hair tied in a plait. She wore a chocolate brown pleated skirt with a lighter brown long-sleeved top.

"Hi Vanessa," I smiled, closing my notebook. "Glad to see you,"

Vanessa laughed. "You too. They giving you the cold shoulder again, huh?" she inquired, setting her bag onto the floor. I nodded.

"Yeah. I made some friends over the summer, though." I replied cheerily.

"Oh really? How?" Vanessa asked, intrigued. I was about to tell her, but then my face fell as reality struck me.

"You...you won't believe me," I said, sighing. Vanessa pouted.

"Come on girl, tell me. I won't tell anyone else."

"You won't believe me, and you'll just backstab me like all my old friends."

"Naoko, look at me." The change of tone in Vanessa's voice caught my attention. I looked at my friend.

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think I would do that? I've no one to tell anyway. You're...my only friend here at this school." Vanessa said, her green eyes sad. I could tell she was serious.

I was confused. "I thought you said you were in the softball club and had lots of friends," I said, running a hand through her light brown hair.

"Sometimes things aren't always what they seem," the chestnut-haired girl muttered, tugging at her sleeves.

"I couldn't agree more." I sighed. "Okay. I'll tell you."

I took a deep breath before telling Vanessa all about how my house had been on fire and the ninja saved my family. How I found out I was the ninja of time. How I fell in love with Kai. How I grew as a family with the ninja. How I found my true potential. How I was stabbed. How Kai went into rage mode, and I kissed him. How I entered the Talent Show with Kai and we won.

"...And that pretty much sums it up." I concluded breathlessly. More students had come in while I was talking, and the classroom was nearly full.

Vanessa just stared at me in awe. "That...is...so...cool!" she squealed. "My friend's a ninja! Awesome!"

I couldn't suppress a grin. I felt so relieved. Somebody actually believed me and my crazy story.

"Can I go see the Bounty one day?" Vanessa asked excitedly.

"I'll have to ask Sensei. He should be fine with it, though. We can go after school tomorrow if he allows." I said after a brief moment.

Vanessa did a fist pump. "Yeah!"

We laughed together. It felt good to have friends who wouldn't betray me. I was sure of that.

Who knows, maybe Vanessa could end up being a ninja too.

Just maybe...

**Me: Hope you guys enjoyed this longggggg awaited last chappie :) Thank you all for reviewing. You guys are awesome. :D**


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